


One Way Mirror

by The_Pen_Dragon



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira Kurusu has a hero complex, All of P5R in written form, Angst, Body Horror, Canon Divergence, Canon Divergent, Character Study, F/F, Found Family Is The best Family, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Character Deaths, PTSD, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, abuse both physical and emotional, lots of kids lots of trauma, rape mentions/implications, some sexual themes, suicide attempt (shiho)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:48:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22211287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Pen_Dragon/pseuds/The_Pen_Dragon
Summary: When his eyes slitted open the first thing he registered was the noise of the train. Light after light after light, passing by the dark windows at even intervals. Endless chatter floating around his head and through his ears. The jangle of the hand grips smacking into each other overhead, the creak of people shifting in their seats. The air was muggy and suppressive. He had never missed the clean open air of the countryside more in his life. He had never even been out of the countryside in his life. He hugged his backpack to his chest, the glasses he’d bought for a few hundred yen glinted in the reflective subway lights, hiding his fearful gaze.Where am I again?It took a minute to remember, but he hardly untensed as the memories came back. That’s right, he had fallen asleep on the long trip to Tokyo. He was on the train to Tokyo because… Because-Akira Kurusu, you are hereby found guilty of assault against a civilian. A year’s probation should straighten you out...
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 14
Kudos: 102





	1. The Fool

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to my AMAZING beta reader Violet911, they help me with pretty much every part of the writing process, and this story wouldn't be here without their help!
> 
> Important Edit!
> 
> This is no longer the opposite side to Reverse Wild, as after playing P5R, I had a lot of new takes and things I really want to explore from Akira's POV. That being said, this will still be the entirety of P5R, with some canon divergence, ranging from minor to major. So please be aware that some scenes have been removed or edited, and I hope you'll enjoy the new direction this story takes!!

_I’m always looking forward, but I don’t usually think far enough ahead. I can be brash and hasty, but I’ve never disliked that about myself. Though, I’ve been told my ideals are too lofty. Am I really in the wrong?_

_  
_   
  
When his eyes slitted open the first thing he registered was the noise of the train. Light after light after light, passing by the dark windows at even intervals. Endless chatter floating around his head and through his ears. The jangle of the hand grips smacking into each other overhead, the creak of people shifting in their seats. The air was muggy and suppressive. He had never missed the clean open air of the countryside more in his life. He had never even been _out_ of the countryside in his life. He hugged his backpack to his chest, the glasses he’d bought for a few hundred yen glinted in the reflective subway lights, hiding his fearful gaze.   
  
_Where am I again?_ _  
_ _  
_ It took a minute to remember, but he hardly untensed as the memories came back. That’s right, he had fallen asleep on the long trip to Tokyo. He was on the train to Tokyo because… Because-   
  
_Akira Kurusu, you are hereby found guilty of assault against a civilian. A year’s probation should straighten you out. Consider yourself lucky-_ _  
_ _  
_ Akira let out a shuddering breath, nervously yanking on his curly bangs. Tug. Tug. A soft push of his frames back up onto the bridge of his nose. Glasses were so unwieldy. But things would be more of a hassle without them. He’d get used to it. He’d be having to get used to a lot of new things, after all.   
  
The train jostled to a stop, and Akira found himself nearly toppling out of his seat. Long legs scrabbled briefly against the dirty floor, stumbling for purchase like a baby deer. He managed to right himself fairly quickly, jumping to his feet and stumble-falling his way out of the train car.   
  
_Welcome to Shibuya Station. Welcome to Shibuya Station._ _  
_ _  
_ The automated voice only added to the mess of noise his ears were flooded with upon entering the station. People. There were so many people. The crowd was like nothing Akira had ever seen as he attempted to push his way up the stairs and into the fresh air. Things were always better outside.   
  
Unfortunately, the big Tokyo prefecture of Shibuya didn’t seem to agree with the idea of a calm outdoor space. Akira, upon hitting the crosswalk, was greeted with more noise and somehow even more people. Yank. Yank. Struggling to keep his breaths steady, his hand found its way to his bangs again. Akira pulled out his phone, both to try and calm his nerves, and to check for the directions to his new temporary home, the residence of one Sojiro Sakura. His fingers were trembling slightly, still trying to adjust to the harsh noise around him. A strange app caught his eye, and he thought for a second that he was just seeing things. But no, it was there. A...red eye… of some kind? It was freaky. Before he could do anything else, a sudden chill ran down his spine. The noise of the city, it had stopped.   
  
A glance up to check, and he was sure he was having delusions. Fire. Blue fire. The flames roared to life in the middle of the intersection. Akira looked around frantically, wondering if anyone else was seeing this, but somehow...everyone had stopped. Frozen entirely. Not the bat of an eyelash or an intake of breath anywhere to be heard. Akira swallowed hard. His silver gaze snapped back to the inferno overtaking the street, and his eyes suddenly widened.   
  
Black hair, fluffy wild wavelets like his own. Eyes of harsh sunbeam yellow. A cheshire grin, sharpened to a point. It was him. He was sure of it. The awe of seeing a spectre of himself was quickly outweighed by the towering winged demon behind the doppleganger. Akira’s mouth gaped, eyes widening behind his lenses. The glass reflected the firelight, which lapped at the heels of his dark other self. Akira’s mouth twitched slightly, about to try and ask who, why, how, anything-when suddenly, the vision was gone once more. Everything around him bustled to life again. The noise of the crowd, people scheduling meetings and gossiping and whining. The sound of hundreds of feet tapping against pavement. The sound of Akira’s heartbeat pounding against his throat.   
  
He decided to just chock the vision up to stress, and hurried his way along. He quickly deleted the strange eye app. He didn’t know if it had contributed to the vision or not, but the coincidence of it was a little too freaky for him. He just wanted to get to this Sakura guy’s house, fast.   
  
\---   
  
Ting Ting.   
  
Click.

The door chimed and swung closed behind Akira, sealing him in the warmth of the homey little cafe he had made his way to. The delicious scent of freshly made curry and the smell of rich-bodied coffee would have been comforting, had it not taken the teen half an hour to find this dinky little back-alley place after finding Sakura’s house so graciously locked.  
  
Akira stood there silently for a minute, listening to the listless chatter of an old couple and the cafe owner. The owner seemed annoyed by their mindless chit-chat. Good.   
  
As the old couple set their payment down and shuffled their way out the door, the cafe owner’s eyes finally rested on his new lanky house guest.   
  
“Oh right. That was today, wasn’t it?” Sakura asked gruffly.   
  
Akira’s lips curled into the start of a snarl. He let out a short, tense breath, turning the bubbling animosity into a soft, amiable, “I’m Akira Kurusu. You're Sojiro Sakura, right?” he gave a stiff, polite bow, “thank you for allowing me to stay.”   
  
The man nodded with a short grunt, “You seem pretty pleasant for a no good delinquent. I wasn’t expecting someone with manners.”   
  
Akira bit back a handful of replies, many of which involved not judging books by their covers or people by their titles, but he swallowed them all down. He remained silent. Sakura’s eyes scanned over his reflective lenses for a moment, then he gave a short shrug and motioned for Akira to follow him.   
  
“Well, no use dawdling then. You’ll be staying upstairs, c’mon,” Sakura headed on up the stairs, assuming Akira would follow.   
  
The first thing that hit him as he made his way up the stairs was the settling of dust over literally everything. His nose wrinkled as every breath he took suddenly felt thicker. Calling the things in the corner ‘cobwebs’ would be an understatement, and the boxes and bags of garbage littering the floor _really_ made Akira feel at home. This seemed about right though, really. Who would go out of their way to prep anything halfway decent for a no-good delinquent with a criminal record? Just store him up here with the rest of the trash. A marred record took all the value out of his life after all, right?   
  
“Well?” Sakura asked, dusting off the mattress in the corner, which looked old as sin and still somehow seemed to be the newest thing in the room. “I know it’s not much, but-”   
  
“Dusty,” Akira found himself mumbling. The words had slipped out, unbenounced to him. He was going to get booted right back out of here before he even got settled at this rate.   
  
“Yeah, well, that’ll be your job,” Sakura huffed, “You can clean this place up. And whenever you’re done with that, get settled however you want. It’s not like I use this room for anything else.”   
  
Akira gave a stiff nod. His hand tightening on his backpack strap.   
  
“...you’re thinking how shitty this situation is, right?” Sakura asked.   
  
Akira’s eyes remained locked on his.   
  
“Look, I heard about what happened. How you protected that woman from that drunk asshole?”   
  
Akira’s heart leapt, eyebrows raising slightly. Sakura knew? He knew the truth? Did this mean he didn’t see him as scum like everyone else?   
  
“That’s why you don’t get mixed up in adult issues,” Sakura said flatly, “You were trying to do the right thing, and it blew up in your face. Your parents all but disowned you. And now, well, here we are. So next time, maybe just let it go.”   
  
Akira’s nose scrunched. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed, even as he managed to keep his mouth nearly flat. Of course. No adults understood. Even the ones who knew the truth. He was just stupid then, yeah? He was the bitch here for saving a woman from an unspeakable fate.   
  
He grabbed a broom as Sakura headed back downstairs. Might as well funnel this frustration into something productive. Besides, if he was going to be living in an attic for the next year, it was going to be a fucking clean attic.   
  
\---   
  
Akira flopped down onto the creaky futon, letting out a heavy sigh as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He wasn’t sure how long he had been cleaning, but he had gone until all his aggression was expended and soreness had started to settle into his arms. The sun was almost set, filtering soft orange light through the small window over the bed. Akira turned his head to the side, one eye sweeping over the now tidied attic. His single box of things had been unceremoniously shoved under some shelving, all the trash piled into one corner, and the dust had been cleaned off from floor to ceiling. Had Akira gone a bit overboard, hoisting himself up onto the ceiling beams to get rid of the highest cobwebs? Perhaps. But he sure felt better having done it.   
  
The noise of footsteps on stairs had Akira sitting bolt upright again in seconds. He adjusted his frames on his face as Sakura came into view.   
  
“Wow, I heard a lot of noise up here, but I didn’t expect the pace to look so much cleaner this fast. You sure had a lot of energy left after that long train ride,” he noted, sounding impressed.   
  
Akira stared back at Sakura. His fingers curled and uncurled on his lap, thinking about the way this humble cafe owner must view him. “Yeah.”   
  
“Hm. You really aren’t much for talking, are you?”   
  
Akira shook his head shortly. He wanted Sakura to leave so he could sleep. He was exhausted before he had even started cleaning really, but frustration was as good an energy boost as a caffeine shot.   
  
“Well, alright. Get settled in then, I’m headed home for the night. The door’s locked, don’t go wandering around after dark, got it?” Sakura asked.   
  
Akira nodded, “Got it.”   
  
The man nodded in return. Akira watched him leave, listening until he heard the door close behind him. He let out a sigh, sinking heavily into the futon. He held up his phone, staring up at the screen blankly for a minute as his mind wandered.   
  
_Probation._ _  
_ _  
_ _A whole year._ _  
_ _  
_ _Even with all my cleaning, this is a dusty ass attic._ _  
_ _  
_ Akira shook his head, going to check for a good route to his new school, when that strange app caught his eye again. He took off his glasses, squinting at the little symbol. Great, this was a pretty new phone, had he seriously already gotten a virus? He gave an annoyed huff and deleted the app again, hoping it would have the courtesy to stay gone this time.   
  
He tossed his phone next to him, all notions of looking up the local area long forgotten. He was annoyed at his phone, at his situation, and at this rickety futon which was definitely just set on top of a bunch of boxes.   
  
_Was what I did really wrong?_ _  
_ _  
_ _It got me here, so…_ _  
_ _  
_ _I...I couldn’t stand to see such injustice…_ _  
_ _  
_ _It wasn’t wrong. It couldn’t have been._ _  
_ _  
_ \---

 _Crunch crunch crunch crunch._ _  
_ _  
_ _Gravel underfoot, a flickering streetlight overhead. Fog, thin and wispy, curling around every object like a spectre gliding its way through the physical plane. It was an eerie night, and the lack of any noise save for cricket song was putting Akira on edge._ _  
_ _  
_ _Soft crunching turned to the heavy smack of shoe on pavement as he made his way to a main street, hurrying along on his way home. It was too dark out, he’d be missed if he was gone any longer. Akira’s whole focus was on making his way back home, when a sudden cry caught his attention. He turned on his heel, eyes going wide as he searched the street for any signs of life._ _  
_ _  
_ _Another cry._ _  
_ _  
_ _He pinpointed the direction and took off, never having been able to ignore a potential injustice. Rounding the corner, he was quick to spot the source of the disruption. There was a woman, screeching and yanking her body this way and that, and a rowdy looking drunk man. A sneer spread across Akira’s face. Another asshole who thought he could bend people to his will. He couldn’t allow this._ _  
_ _  
_ _He ran right up to the struggling pair, not having so much as a hint of a plan in mind as their voices started to come in clearly._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Let-Let me go! I don’t want-stop!” the woman cried._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Shut the fuck up, you’ll wake the locals you noisy bitch,” the drunk man slurred agressively, his hold tight on the shaking woman’s wrist._ _  
_ _  
_ _“S-stop it! Stop it please! Just let me go home!” the woman was twisting and turning, unable to break away from the man as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Just get in the fucking car and stop your arguing! Do you have any idea how fast I could ruin your life?” the man spat, “Bitches like you just need to keep their mouth shut and do as I tell them! I’ll be steering this whole damn country before long, then where’ll you run, huh?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“I-I,” the woman’s lip trembled as she started to sob, her struggling growing weaker as the man gave her another rough shove. She hit the side of the car, weakly pushing against the metal, fighting to keep herself out of the vehicle._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Hey!” Akira found himself saying, tone uncertain. He didn’t know what to do here exactly, but he couldn’t just let this happen._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Wh-” the drunk man swiveled, stumbling on his heel, his grip loosening on the sobbing woman. “Oh, look what you’ve done now, stupid whore. Some kid heard you. Get lost kid! This is grown-up talk.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira’s hands curled into fists by his sides. This asshole thought he could just use his power to force women to do what he wanted? He thought he could push Akira aside like he was insignificant? This bastard… his status meant people could never tell him no, huh? Well, Akira didn’t give half a fuck about status. He’d knock this guy down a peg himself if he had to._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Leave this woman alone,” Akira said firmly, glaring into the bleary eyes of the drunk scumbag._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Ohh you think you can boss me around too eh? You fucking brat. You and this bitch here both need to learn your damn place!” The man’s arm raised up over his head and he canted forward, seeming like he was about to hit the woman._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira moved without thinking, running out in front of the woman, throwing one arm out protectively. However, as he moved, the drunk man stumbled, one foot sliding over the other, twisting and slipping. He fell hard, there was a loud CRACK as his skull connected with the sidewalk. For a moment, Akira thought he had knocked himself out._ _  
_ _  
_ _The woman grabbed the hem of Akira’s shirt, still shaking and sobbing as he just stared, dumbfounded, at the high and mighty drunkard who had bashed his own face into the sidewalk. The man groaned, rolling onto his ass and just sitting there on the sidewalk. He rubbed his forehead dazedly, before suddenly noticing the trickle of blood. He made a horrified noise, pointing at Akira._ _  
_ _  
_ _“You! You fucking brat! You shoved me! You fuckin-assaulted a politician! I’ll sue you you little fuck!” he rambled angrily._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira’s eyebrows raised, mouth slightly agape. Was this guy serious? Just how drunk was he?_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Y-you tripped all on your own, you fool of a man!” the woman sniffled._ _  
_ _  
_ _“SHADDUP WHORE!” the man slurred, swinging his arm in a wide arc in front of him. Akira quietly pushed the woman a bit more behind himself._ _  
_ _  
_ _It was then that the sound of sirens registered in Akira’s ears, and he realized all the yelling must have prompted someone to call the cops. He wasn’t the biggest fan of the authorities, but, this was good. The cops would get this sorted out, get this drunk put away, and get this poor woman home safe._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira looked over in tentative relief as two officers stepped out of their car, “We got a call about a disturbance in the neighborhood. Would any of you care to explain what’s happened here?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira nodded, about to speak, when the man on the ground jabbed a finger in his direction, “That little BRAT shoved me! He assaulted me for no damn reason!”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“I did not-” Akira started, but the man nodded to the woman behind him._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Go on Ume, tellem. Tell the officers what happened. And remember what’s at stake here,” the man growled._ _  
_ _  
_ _The officers looked at the woman expectantly. Her fingers curled more tightly against Akira’s shirt for a moment, and he looked at her pleadingly, unable to believe that this man would try to frame him like this. She met his eyes, her own still brimming with tears, and mouthed a soft ‘I’m sorry’._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira felt his own eyes start to water as the woman looked at the officers, quietly and shakily saying, “He...he pushed him. This boy...came out of nowhere...and attacked this innocent man…”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“I-that-that’s not true!” Akira stammered, moving quickly away as the officers made to grab him._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Sir-don’t resist sir, both of these people have given their testimonies,” the first officer said firmly._ _  
_ _  
_ _“You’re only making yourself look worse, kid,” the second chided, holding up handcuffs._ _  
_ _  
_ _“W-what about my testimony?!” Akira demanded. He gave a sharp gasp as one cop pinned him to the nearest brick wall, yanking his arms back until he had wrestled Akira into a pair of cuffs._ _  
_ _  
_ _“It doesn’t matter what you have to say, this case is open and shut,” the first officer stated._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Heh...and be sure to keep my name out of this, will you? I’d hate anyone to get the wrong idea,” the drunk man grinned._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira stared at him, entirely stunned, as he was dragged to the cop car._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Of course, sir. We wouldn’t want to stir up any trouble for you on the campaign trail,” the second cop said._ _  
_ _  
_ _This man...his power… he really could ruin anyone’s life he wanted, couldn’t he? But still, Akira couldn’t have just let that go. That woman… she…_ _  
_ _  
_ _\---_ _  
_ _  
_ Akira woke up with a shaky gasp, taking in harsh, shallow breaths. He wiped the cold sweat from his face, hands shaking as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He had been having that dream nearly every night since his trial. What he had done back then...if he had done it differently… if he had acted faster or been more clever, would he still be where he was now?   
  
He swallowed harshly, checking the time on his phone. He was awake ten minutes early, not too bad. He’d just go ahead and get ready. He had the joy of being looked down on by the school teachers to look forward to today.

\---  
  
“And lastly, we expect you to show up on time to classes. I don’t know what you got away with in your old home town, but things will be different here. You won’t be getting away with anything. So you’d better be a model student, or we’ll kick you back out faster than you can imagine,” the principal finished his long-winded rant.   
  
“Yes sir,” Akira murmured agreeably, bowing.   
  
The teacher standing next to the desk gave a heavy sigh, “I really have to deal with this?”   
  
“There are no other open seats, Kawakami,” the principal replied.   
  
“Still...I don’t wanna deal with some problem child all year…” Kawakami grumbled.   
  
Akira bit his tongue, saying nothing about how he was _literally standing right here are you fucking kidding me_ \- and instead simply met Kawakami’s eyes, saying nothing. She looked uncomfortable, forcing a smile that was more of a grimace.   
  
“Yeah….’kay. Well, I’m Sadayo Kawakami, your new homeroom teacher. Be on your best behavior ‘kay? Cause I can’t help you out if you slip up,” she said.   
  
“...I’ll be a good student,” Akira murmured. He wasn’t sure what else he could say here really. Everything was tense. Kawakami looked so uncomfortable, the principal seemed to be in a hurry to get this delinquent back out of his office, and Sakura just looked annoyed. Akira was relieved more than anything when the principal all but threw him out after that brief introduction. He was very ready to just get back to the dingy attic and crawl under the sheets until his life situation stopped kicking him in the dick.   
  
“Well, they sure were quick to label you, weren’t they?” Sakura commented as they headed out. “That’s to be expected though, considering what few details everyone has. You’re gonna have to get used to that. So, think you’ll be able to handle this place?”   
  
Akira’s teeth grit, scraping harshly, top against bottom, as if trying to create sparks. He forced his grit jaw open, replying with a simple, “I’m sure I’ll manage.”   
  
“Well, I guess that’s all I can ask for right now,” Sakura sighed. “And you will manage, because if you fall behind in school, you’ll be homeless before you can blink.”   
  
Akira said nothing to that. He was already well aware of his precarious situation. Why everyone around him was feeling the need to grind salt into his wounds, he didn’t have the slightest idea. But wow, he was really not enjoying it.   
  
\---   
  
_-report of the latest on the subway de-railment from yesterday morning. There have been no casualties to date, but several people were injured in the crash, and the train conductor remains hospitalized and under mental surveillance-_ _  
_ _  
_ “That reminds me,” Sakura cut in over the radio.   
  
Akira looked over tiredly. The two had been sitting in nearly stopped traffic in dead silence for the past hour. The cramped car felt like a nice little slice of purgatory, and the looping news coverage of the subway accident really added a hearty flavor of depression to the mood.   
  
“You have to take the train to school starting tomorrow. You might want to leave early so you don’t get lost, country boy.”   
  
Akira looked back out the window. It was gray and dreary out. Horns were honking and people were milling about on the sidewalks, the hustle and bustle of Tokyo was truly relentless. A static that encased everything, replacing quiet nature with the suffocating human clutter of sound.   
  
Akira sighed softly, finding himself missing home once again. He didn’t miss his parents so much, but the open field half a mile from his house had always been a nice reprieve for him. He had spent all night there right after his trial. The tall grass, the spatter of early rising fireflies, the cool spring air encasing him like a gentle hug… he was glad his parents hadn’t noticed when he didn’t come back until morning. He missed that field.   
  
He glanced back at Sakura, settling back into reality as a question bubbled at the back of his mind. “...why did you agree to take me in?”   
  
Sakura frowned slightly, seeming surprised by that question. He looked over, trying to meet Akira’s eyes behind his glasses, “I...well, I guess hearing your story...it kinda reminded me of myself when I was younger.”   
  
A small scoff accidentally escaped Akira’s lips.   
  
“Hey now, don’t be like that. I was young once! A real firecracker too I tell ya, hoo boy,” Sakura sighed, looking back at the road, “...besides, your folks paid me to watch you. It’s not like I’d refuse, you didn’t seem like such an awful kid.”   
  
Akira nodded slowly, believing the payment reason a lot more than any kind of empathy. He turned to look back out the window. At least Sakura seemed to have softened a little bit since that morning, maybe they’d be on nearly amiable terms eventually. He was stuck here for a year after all, he should try his best not to make any enemies.---

 _From the moment he closed his eyes, chains filled his vision. A dream of falling, he thought, as there was nothing but a void of blue around him. Blue, and chains. The harsh clinking of the ungodly things as he slipped further and further down the endless cobalt was like hell._ _  
_ _  
_ _When Akira suddenly sat up, he expected to find himself in bed. And he supposed he was, in a way, but this…_ _  
_ _  
_ _He patted his slim frame, taking in the black and white stripes first, and then the metal against his wrists. He shook his arms, watching in horror as the jangling chain that connected his wrists showed him just how trapped he was. He leapt up off of the stiff bed, head whipping around as he rapidly took in the appearance of the shabby cell around him. He tried to run up to the bars and gave a startled yelp when his ankle caught on something heavy. A ball and chain??_ _  
_ _  
_ _He stood in the center of the cell, one hand yanking on his bangs as the other pressed against his chest. Okay, he was clearly having a nightmare, this was fine. He didn’t feel claustrophobic at all it was FINE._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Hey! You there!” came a young, very loud voice._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira blinked, squinting a bit to look out of the front bars of his cell._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Please remain calm, and look alive when in the presence of our master,” An equally young, but decidedly calmer, voice added._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira tugged on the heavy iron ball, making his way over to the bars and looking around._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Down here, stupid inmate!” the first, brash voice demanded._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira looked down, unable to express the feelings he was having. He was greeted with the sight of two small girls dressed as prison wardens. Each had vanilla white hair, and golden eyes similar to the ones he had seen on his doppleganger the day before. The placid girl had a long braid, and the volatile girl wore her hair in two tight buns._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Look alive inmate! Close that gaping maw!” the girl with buns demanded, slapping the bars with her nightstick._ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira looked up slowly, his gaze finally resting on the last and probably most interesting thing in the round room outside his cell. A strange bald man with a nose so long Akira felt he might be able to reach out and touch it from here. He remained silently gaping, eyes wide and mind rushing. What the fuck was going on here?_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Hmhm,” the long-nosed man chuckled, “You seem confused, but worry not, all shall be explained. I am Igor, and this place you find yourself, is my Velvet Room.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Igor’s voice was deep. Not deep in the way Akira’s own voice was, but the kind of deep that one could feel in their bones. Eerie and echoing, the rumble forewarning a thunderstorm. He continued his barely fathomable explanation, “It is a room that exists between mind, and matter. Between reality, and dream. You have the potential to wield great power. A human with the power of the wild card, sometimes known as a trickster. This room reflects the state of your heart, and so it takes the shape of a prison. Now...why, I wonder?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira’s head hurt. He put one hand on his head, squinting at the strange Igor as he tried to process the sheer nonsense he was spouting. Wild card? Heart...prison? What..?_ _  
_ _  
_ _“You still look confused,” Igor grinned, motioning to the two girls outside the cell, “These two may be able to help enlighten you. To your left, with the braid, is Justine. To the right, her sister, Caroline. They are wardens here, the keepers of your heart, in a way. You have great potential, but first must go through a kind of rehabilitation.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira shook his head, already over this confusing mess. He gripped the bars, his gaze colder than the steel under his fingertips, “I’m tired of this nonsense, let me out of this cage!” he demanded, rattling the bars forcefully._ _  
_ _  
_ _Caroline whacked the bars again, this time so hard that a jolt of electricity shot through them. Akira quickly let go, rubbing his stinging fingers._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Be respectful, inmate!” Caroline demanded, “Be patient, and let us explain!”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Justine nodded, “Yes. It is a lot to take in, dear prisoner, but to put it plainly, you have been bestowed a great opportunity. You and you alone have the power to save the world from a great disaster. All will become clear in time, do not fret.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira looked at Justine, feeling even more confused than he was a moment ago. He looked back to Igor, about to ask him something or like...maybe just yell some more, but Igor raised his hand up, stopping him._ _  
_ _  
_ _“You have a great responsibility, prisoner. Do you accept the burden?” Igor asked._ _  
_ _  
_ _“I...what?” Akira breathed, exasperated._ _  
_ _  
_ _“That wasn’t a no,” Igor hummed, “Rest now, and you will return another time. Things will become clear soon enough.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Akira tried to protest, but his vision was fading fast. Darkness closed in, and the strange jail vanished entirely._ _  
_ _  
_ _\---_ _  
_ _  
_ Akira sat bolt upright in bed, instinctively grabbing at his wrists to feel for cuffs. Nothing. It really had just been a dream. An insanely confusing, suffocating, jail themed dream. He rubbed his head as he pushed himself out of bed. What a way to start the day. He got dressed and made his way downstairs with a sigh. He hoped his first day at school wouldn’t be too much of a nightmare.   
  
“Hey, you’re up on time, that’s good,” Sakura’s voice greeted from behind the counter.   
  
Akira looked over and gave a small nod. Sakura patted the counter, motioning to a plate of steaming curry, “Have some breakfast before you go.”   
  
“Curry..?” Akira murmured curiously.

“Do you want breakfast or not?”  
  
“I do,” Akira replied quickly, taking a seat at the counter, “...thank you.”  
  
“It’s no good if a growing teen doesn’t remember to feed himself,” Sakura huffed, “Eat well and do your best at school. Got it?”  
  
There was something almost fatherly under Sakura’s gruff words. Akira didn’t trust this stranger in the slightest, but...something about his parental worry made Akira smile, just a bit. He took a bite of the curry, and groaned happily. He hadn’t even realized that he’d forgotten to eat the day before, and this was absolutely incredible. Akira had no idea curry could taste so amazing.  
  
“That good?” Sakura laughed, watching as the boy practically shovelled the plate of food into his mouth.  
  
Akira panted a bit as he set the spoon on the empty plate, his cheeks red from the level of spice he’d just gulped down. “S...spicy,” he breathed, “But...amazing. That’s...really good curry.”  
  
Sakura grinned, looking genuinely happy about the praise, “Old family recipe. I’m glad you like it. Drink some water and hurry along, alright? And try not to get lost in the subway, country boy.”  
  
Akira gulped down a whole glass of water, giving a thumbs up. He bowed and thanked Sakura again for the meal before zipping out the door. He was sure he could find his way. He’d found his way here hadn’t he? The school wouldn’t be THAT hard to find.  
  
\---

Ffssshhh…

The sound of rain against the sidewalk greeted Akira as he stepped out of the station. The whole place had been an urban maze, bright lights and countless overlapping voices, crowded, craped trains that made the humidity brought on by the rain almost unbearable. Even stumbling out into a bit of a downpour, just having an inch of open air to breath freely in was a welcome relief. Things in the city all felt so cramped.  
  
The light splash of shoes on wet cement turned to dry taps as he came to a stop under a small canopy. He sighed, opening his phone to check the weather app, when the gentle tap tap tap of approaching footsteps had Akira looking to the left. He was greeted by the sight of a hooded girl. She was also trying to stay out of the rain, running along the sidewalk until she reached the outcropping of building Akira was standing under.

"Brr!" She flipped her hood down, shaking out her impressively blonde hair. Teal eyes turned to look at him, a small, polite smile forming on her pink lips. "This rain, so annoying, right?"

Akira was gaping. He was sure he was. She just looked… so amazingly foreign. Was that her natural hair color? Her eyes were stunning and her face was so cute and round…

"Mhm," he cleared his throat and nodded softly, realizing he must look like such a creep, just staring at this girl.

He opened his mouth, going to make an attempt at a proper introduction, when the harsh sound of tires kicking up water interrupted him. Akira and the girl both looked over, seeing a sleek car just sitting there in front of them.

Vrrrrt. Down rolled the window. A man with a mop of dark hair and an insanely square jaw leaned out a bit, "hey! You're gonna get soaked. How about a ride to school?"

The girl nodded shortly, her fingers curling a little tighter around her bag, "um, yeah, thank you very much." She walked, a little stiffly, Akira thought, and climbed into the passenger side of the car.

The man seemed to just notice Akira, his eyes sweeping over him once, "what about you? You need a ride too?"

Akira felt a little blindsided, still thinking about the strange foreign girl and how odd her reaction to this man was. He confusedly raised one hand in a sort of half wave, mumbling an awkward, "nah."

The man shrugged, leaning back in his seat. Akira watched the girl as the window rolled back up. Something flashed briefly across her delicate features. Fear, sadness, maybe some mix of the two? Whatever it was, he supposed he could just try and ask her later, assuming he saw her again. He looked down at his phone, going to open the maps when he noticed it- that damn eye was back. He tapped on it, about to just delete it again, when a lightning yellow blur suddenly rushed by, just about knocking him over.

A boy, roughly his age, panting hard with his hands resting on his knees. He had stopped running just a few feet from Akira, glaring after the quickly disappearing car.

"God dammit! That damn perv can't keep pulling this shit! Just because he's a teacher he gets a pass, what bullshit," the incredibly vulgar boy spouted, clearly having a moment.

"...pervert teacher..?" Akira found himself mumbling, tapping his phone against his forehead as he squinted at the loud blonde boy.

The other teen whipped around, seeming shocked that Akira was there. He must not have noticed him before in his hurry. His brown eyes widened slightly, fear flashing across his features before hardening into anger. He fisted a hand in his lightning blonde hair, one foot tapping agitatedly against the sidewalk.

"Hey you. You heard that yeah? You gonna rat me out to Kamoshida? Cause...you better not."

Akira blinked slowly. There was so much happening all at once this morning. He couldn't keep up with it all. "Uh...Kamoshida?" He asked.

"Yeah the dude in the car?" The angry boy clarified, motioning widely behind him, "you playin' stupid? Or...wait, do you seriously not know?"

The tough act was cute, but Akira knew a thug when he saw one, and this guy wasn't it. He had a sweet face and kind eyes, he seemed pissed about Kamo-whatever, but this was pretty obviously a defensive front. Akira didn't see any threat here. He let himself relax a little, deciding to just admit his naïve confusion outright.

"Yeah. Look, I'm new here," Akira explained, "dunno anything about a kamosomethin. I nearly got lost on the way here today."

The blonde blinked, all the anger draining right out of his face, replaced with surprise and curiosity. His puppy face was pretty adorable. "Wait, really? Oh! You that transfer guy? Yeah yeah, you're new to Shujin, I heard 'bout you!"

"Big surprise," Akira mumbled. He wasn't happy to hear others had already heard about him, but he had kind of expected it.

The blonde gave an awkward grin, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah… look man, I ain't gonna judge a situation I don't know, alright? Wish I could say the same for the rest of the school, but…"

"It's not a big deal," Akira stated dismissively. He wouldn't discuss this with a stranger, even if he did seem nice enough. "Tell me about the man you were chasing. You called him a pervert?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Kamoshida. He's a real big shot at Shujin. He's just our gym teacher, but the dick won an Olympic medal once, so everybody treats him like he's hot shit. And he doesn't exactly shy away from it. More like he acts like the damn king of the castle, pushing around students, treating girls like… like I don't even wanna know."

Akira frowned, feeling a twinge of anger towards this teacher. He didn't know anything firsthand, but what reason would his peer have to lie? Adults were just shitty like that, and teachers preying on girls was nothing new. "King of the castle, huh?" He asked flatly.

"Yeah. And we're all his dumbass little subjects-" 

For a split second, the boy's voice felt watery and far away. It was like an invisible force pulsed through Akira's head, and from the way his blonde acquaintance grabbed at his hair, it seemed like he'd felt it too.

Akira rubbed his head with a small grimace and slid his phone back in his pocket. The blonde groaned, "god...I've got such a damn headache…"

"Why don't we get to school?" Akira suggested, "I want to hear more about this later."

"Yeah, whatever," the boy sighed, "not like it changes much to complain about it, right?"

Akira pursed his lips. He didn't have anything to say to that. It was true, after all, just talking about the wrongdoings of those in power changed nothing. And it wasn't like he had the power to stop him, neither of them did.  
  
Splash. Splash. _Scchlip._

_Odd._

Akira glanced over his shoulder as the two made their way down the alley, the splashing of rain puddles underfoot somehow seeming...off. Like the slide of a sneaker on ice instead of the drop of weight in water. Glance left. Right. Dark brick and scattered rain, everything appeared normal. Maybe this hectic morning was just wearing on him.

"WHAT THE HELL?" came the lightning blonde's voice from a few feet ahead.

Akira turned to look, pacing the short distance between them. Ah. A castle. Well that was… certainly more obtuse than a too-slippery puddle.

"Bro, what the shit is this?!" The loud teen exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the medieval architecture.

"I didn't know Shujin was such an old building," Akira mumbled. 

"B-IT'S NOT! THIS AIN'T THE SCHOOL! You dense?!" The boy exclaimed, flabbergasted.

Akira eyed the high stone walls and looming gate. The deep, rushing moat and the eerily pink sky. His companion had a point, this certainly didn't look like a normal school. Or a normal anything, really.

"Sorry, I've never been to a big city. So I just thought, maybe.." Akira shook his head, "kind of silly of me."

"Yeah dude, how friggen naïve are you?" The teen sighed, "this is totally where the school should be though. Maybe it's like...some weird remodel? That they did...overnight…?"

"Maybe we took a wrong turn," Akira suggested.

"DUDE. WRONG TURN? IT'S A FLIPPIN CASTLE! ARE YOU FOR REAL?" his voice was cracking.

"Calm down," Akira sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and heading on inside. Might as well, right? If this was where the school was supposed to be…

"Calm down-how are YOU this chill? Forget calmin' down! You should be freaking the eff out!" The blonde yelled after him. The sound of sneaker on stone indicated he had chosen to follow as well.

Their footsteps echoed in the grand, empty hall. Checkered tile and extravagant red rugs greeted them in the entryway, leading up gaudy stairs and supported by sparkling walls of brown and gold. A large painting hung at the head of the stairs, looming over the oil lamp-lit space. Akira squinted, an attempt to make out the face on the canvas, when a loud call stole his attention.

"HEY! YOU THERE!"

CLANG

**CLANG**

**_CLANG_ **

Metal on tile clashing harshly against itself, the scrape of spear on shield, and suddenly the two teens found themselves surrounded. Knights, or some masked incarnation of knights, loomed over the boys.

"What the hell..?" The blonde mumbled.

Akira said nothing. A fist clenched at his side, he stared, the glint of his glasses the only wall between him and the endless void of the eyeholes of the blue-masked knights.

"You are trespassing in King Kamoshida's castle! State your business!" One of the knights demanded.

"King…?" The teen hissed.

"Kamoshida…" Akira mumbled.

"Yo what students are you huh? Did he put you up to this? What kinda bullshit-" the blonde reached out for one of the knight's masks, and a sick feeling twisted in Akira's gut.

"Wait! They're not-" Akira lurched forward, hand reaching out for the misguided teen, but he was too slow.

**_BANG!_ **

A solid, harsh blow of the knight's shield to the blonde's sternum, and he crumpled to the ground. Akira gasped, worried for a split second before a sharp pain needled down his neck. Metal colliding with his skull so forcefully that it dropped him in a second. Before he could so much as cry out, his vision went black.

\---

"Hey."

Barely audible words swam through his head.

"Hey, dude."

Louder, but still watery, the words tickled the inside of his ears.

"Dude wake up!"

Akira grunted, his eyes cracking open. His head was killing him, but as soon as he registered the fact that he was inside a stony jail cell, he was on his feet, fully alert.

"Holy shit, you jumped up quick," the blonde mumbled, eyebrows raised.

Akira walked swiftly to the worn bars, delivering a quick blow with his fist. The iron rattled, but there was no way it would give. "Dammit," he hissed.

"Hey uh, I know this is kind of the least of our problems right now, but... you good? It seemed like that knight guy knocked you pretty hard in the head."

"Fine. I'm fine," Akira stated quickly, looking around for anything stronger than his fist to hit against the bars.

"Yo, chill! You’re freaking out _now_?," the teen asked, shifting from foot to foot. "I mean, I’m freakin a little too. We're both here, so there's no way this is just some crazy dream… but, we gotta try and stay calm and figure this shit out… right?"

Akira threw a wooden bucket against the bars with a sharp yell. The hollow thud of the wood and the rattling clang of the bars were all he got in response. He leaned back against the stone wall, fisting one hand in his hair. The other messed with his, fortunately not broken, glasses.

"Fuck," he breathed.

"Not a big fan of jail cells, I guess?" The blonde pressed, seeming to be managing a somewhat level head, despite their situation.

"...You could say that," Akira mumbled.

A beat. The drip of water somewhere down the dark, cavernous hall. Akira suddenly stuck a hand out to his cellmate, "Akira Kurusu. By the way."

The boy let out a small laugh, clasping Akira's hand, "Ryuji Sakamoto. Some time to make friends huh?"

"It's a hell of a bonding experience," Akira replied.

Both boys jumped when guards seemingly appeared at the cell door. Akira leapt back, shifting into a sort of fighting stance, hands hanging loose by his side, ready to take a quick swing when he saw an opening. 

Ryuji had a more straightforward approach, stomping over and rattling the door harshly, "Hey! You bastards better let us out right now!"

"Silence! You have trespassed in the king's castle, you will be tried!" One of the knights boomed.

Akira tensed, teeth gritting.

Ryuji jumped back as the cell door swung open. He reared back, swinging his arm back to throw a punch, when a new voice stopped him dead.

"You always were so quick to anger, Sakamoto," the voice was lilting and calm, an echo wrapped his words in a way that made Akira think of an evil spirit.

The man that stepped forward was only vaguely familiar to Akira, but he knew Ryuji was far better acquainted. The man from the car before. Only...this version of him had goldenrod yellow eyes, and wore a royal cape, a speedo, and literally nothing else.

Akira's nose scrunched impulsively, repulsed by the man's tight, far too revealing outfit. Disgusting. A teacher would present himself like this? Or… was this the same teacher?

"K..Kamoshida?" Ryuji breathed, arms falling limp to his sides. He took a staggering step back, all the fight ripped right out of him.

"That's KING Kamoshida to you, scum," the man sneered, "and you two have some nerve, coming uninvited onto MY property."

"King..? Like hell, you bastard," Ryuji breathed, voice rough and shaky, "what the hell is this? Some kind of sick game?"

"Hmph. You won't bow to the king? That's fine," Kamoshida grinned, twisted and wicked. It split his face and made his glowing eyes crinkle, giving him a look akin to a snake preparing to swallow its prey. "The punishment for trespassing, and disrespecting the king, is death."

Ryuji's fists clenched, shaking at his sides. He stood firm though, staring the teacher-king down, "like hell I'll die here," he exhaled. "Fuck this! Akira, make a run for it!" 

Ryuji was a blonde blur, knocking fast and hard into the first knight that pressed its way into the cell. He managed to startle it enough to stagger it, but his advantage was short lived, and the second knight swung out, knocking Ryuji back into the cell. He hit the ground with enough force to raise a cloud of dust.

Akira's eyes widened, he ran without thinking, moving to stand over his fallen acquaintance. He threw his arms out, hoping to bar Ryuji from further harm.

"Oh, both of you like to play the hero, eh?" Kamoshida laughed, a vile sound that burbled at the back of his throat like scalding poison.

The king nodded sharply, and a total of four knights filtered into the small cell. One of them grabbed Akira, yanking him away from Ryuji by the arms. Akira made a fearfully strangled sound, kicking out, trying to get free of the masked being.

Two knights dragged Ryuji to his feet, holding him in place as Kamoshida strode up to him. The blonde growled, struggling in vain against the much larger guards.

"You piece of shit," Ryuji spat, "you just think you can do whatever you want!-"

Ryuji was cut off, giving a harsh gasp as Kamoshida struck his sternum with a sharp uppercut. Ryuji coughed and hacked, fighting to catch his breath, his legs kicking weakly against his attackers.

Akira struggled harder, managing to pull himself free of his captor for a moment. "No!" He yelled, throwing himself toward Ryuji. He wasn't thinking, he just wanted to stop this abuse, he wanted Ryuji to be free of this.

"Oh? You're still causing trouble back there?" Kamoshida scoffed. He nodded to the fourth knight, and suddenly Akira was flanked.

One knight knocked him against the wall, pressing the handle of its spear into his throat. The second knight struck him in the face, knocking his head to the side and sending his glasses skittering across the dirty floor. Akira's teeth grit, his brow furrowing. 

He could hear Kamoshida laughing. He heard another solid sound, followed by Ryuji sputtering. Akira winced as Ryuji gave a sharp, tiny cry.

"Playing tough now? That's no fun!" Kamoshida laughed. Akira looked up in time to see him punch Ryuji squarely in the jaw.

Akira's eyes watered in sheer frustration, his fists clenching, shaking at his sides. 

Kamoshida drew a dagger from under his cape, pressing the tip of it to Ryuji's throat, "I think I'm bored of this now. It's time to kill you, you worthless brat."

"No," Ryuji coughed, voice hardly a whisper, "I won't die, I don't want to die, I won't-"

Akira struggled in vain against the knights holding him down, limbs straining and mind racing. He couldn't just stand by and watch this happen. He couldn't let this boy get hurt. 

_I can't let that bastard win._

**_Ah._ **

**_So you have reignited your spark?_ **

Akira's eyes went wide, pupils shrinking to pinpoints as a voice ripped through his skull. He let out a scream, body curling in on itself as much as his position would allow. 

**_Before you is a helpless innocent. And a man with far too much power for his own good. What say you? You have seen this situation before, have you not?_ **

Akira let out a pained moan, eyes narrowing and teeth grinding together. His fists beat against the wall, It felt like his head was splitting open, As if the bones themselves were creaking and splintering, the thundering voice forcing them apart.

**_Do you want to save him?_ **

**_Do you regret saving that woman?_ **

"My actions," Akira exhaled, hoarse and barely audible, "were not a mistake!"

**_Good, boy._ **

**_Then let me give you my power. The power to burn down any who might stand in your way. To alter the society that has kept you so unfairly shackled._ **

**_Are you willing to perform any sacrilegious act for your own justice? Are you willing to cast aside the chains of society, and run free, unbound, with the power to unbind others?_ **

Akira let out a shaky breath, sweat and tears running down his face. His mercury eyes ignited with a fire Akira had never felt before, a true inferno of righteous fury and unbridled spite.

"Yes. Come to me," Akira threw his head back, uncaring even as it cracked harshly against the stone, " _ARSENE_!"

Blue fire burst up around him, an all encompassing fury that enveloped his body and exploded outward, tossing the knights across the floor like simple rag dolls.

"What in the..?" Kamoshida lowered his dagger, eyes moving over Ryuji and finding the boy wrapped in flames standing behind him.

Akira's breaths came in sharp, shallow pants. He felt something, an itch, liquid fire burning in his veins. He reached up to his face, realizing something was stuck there. A mask of some kind? His hands patted along it, frantic and confused, until finally he gripped the edges, deciding it needed to come off. A harsh yank to the mask sent pain shooting through his whole face. He could feel blood spurt from the spots where the mask had torn away from his skin.

Akira grit his teeth, it didn't matter. Something about this thing was holding him back. It needed to come off. NOW. He gripped the mask more firmly, tearing it away from the delicate flesh with a determined force. It hurt so badly that Akira wasn't sure it even hurt at all. Sharp, tearing, burning, prickling pain along every inch of his face, around his eyes and across his cheeks. Blood burst forth like a busted water balloon, exploding from under the mask and coating everything. His face, his hands, puddling at his feet and dripping down his jaw.

He held the newly sheared mask loose at his side, intense, quicksilver eyes lifting to lock with Kamoshida's through the haze of tears and blood.

"Per...so...na," Akira breathed, a whisper pushed from his lips like an imprinted memory suddenly forced to the surface.

The flames roared around him, whipping up like a firestorm of fury and wind, licking up his limbs and closing him in a blanket of electric blue. A sharp look and a wicked grin, one with no hint of mercy or remorse, was the last thing visible before the fire completely closed around him.

Kamoshida took a hasty step back, his knights falling in behind him, dropping a terrified Ryuji to the floor. The knights and their king shook in terror as the flames died down, a shadowy, demonic creature with glowing eyes looming over the fire.

Ryuji's eyes were wide and fearful too, everyone in the cell in stunned awe as Akira strode out of the flames.

A leather tailcoat wrapped his slim figure, bulky grey pants stuffed into wedge heeled boots adorned his waist, and a sleek grey top fit snugly around his torso. Crimson gloved hands grabbed at a length of glowing chains that floated around him, a near bloodthirsty grin splitting his lips as he whipped the chains back, throwing them behind him in a flourish. The creature that appeared behind him threw its wings open at the same time, unleashing a flurry of wind that nearly blew everyone out of the cell. 

Akira licked his lips, adjusting the short gloves on his wrists as he walked across the cell, each step calm and precise. Kamoshida let out a short scream, the coward shook and trembled, hurriedly sicking his knights on Akira.

The leather clad boy stood there, hands shoved in his pockets as he watched the knights burst into shadow, taking the form of pumpkin-headed poltergeists carrying lanterns. Akira felt something in his pocket, the grin on his face growing wider as he drew it out. A sleek, obsidian dagger. Perfect for putting people in their place.

"Arsene," Akira said, his voice deep and rich, fueled by power and adrenaline. Any notion of keeping up his demure act was entirely forgotten now. "Tell me how to punish them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize again for the direction change, but there was just so much in P5R I wanted to write in Akira's perspective, and it didn't make sense for me to write vanilla AND royal from his POV, that being said, it does mean I get to write a whole new path for akira and goro's relationship to take!
> 
> (Also, if any of you really really wanted to see some Reverse Wild scenes from Akira's POV, please feel free to DM me on twitter [@PentheDragon](https://twitter.com/PentheDragon) , if a few people want to see the same scenes, I'll work on some oneshots of said scenes for you all!)
> 
> You're all super super wonderful, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!


	2. The Five of Wands

_I'm having a real bad day. Nothing is really going my way right now, and to say I'm irritated about it might be a bit of an understatement._

  
  


The weight of the dagger in his hand.

The click of his heels against the stone.

The euphoric feeling of power coursing through him.

Akira had never felt so alive, so absolutely, wonderfully in control. He spun the dagger in his palm as his persona spoke. 

**_Use my power to strike them down. Turn your rage into the will to fight, and show them what it truly means to feel fear._ **

Akira felt a cruel smile curl on his lips, his eyes locked with one of the poltergeists in front of him, and he felt the power's name like a whisper in his head. 

"Eiha," he breathed the word, gentle as could be, and watched with a merciless gaze as the pumpkin-headed creature exploded in a burst of red and black. It shrieked as the cursed energy wrapped it, dragging it back to hell right where it belonged.

"What the hell..?" He heard Ryuji whisper from somewhere to his left, but Akira was enthralled in the hunt. He paid no mind to his concerned acquaintance.

His eyes snapped to the other enemy, but it was rushing him before he had time to think. It swung out with its lantern, smacking against his head with a solid CLANG. Akira stumbled back a step, shaking his head as Arsene spoke again.

**_Don't drop your guard. Now, use your blade, strike back!_ **

Akira exhaled sharply, gripping the handle of his night-black dagger firmly. He rushed forward and swung out, arm moving in one smooth, swift motion. It felt as if his body was lighter, his movements more precise. The blade cut through the creature like it was nothing, and Akira turned on his heel, the tails of his coat whirling out in a flourish as he fixed his cold stare on Kamoshida once more.

Aresene's presence faded from behind him, and Akira took a measured step forward, drawing the flat of his blade across his tongue. Kamoshida was trembling. Still, the disgusting man jumped to his feet, ready to fight. 

_Like a cornered animal,_ Akira thought.

"Wh-who the hell do you think you are, you damn-" the king was cut off as Ryuji came out of nowhere, plowing into the man's side with such force that he sent him flying.

Akira's eyes were wide, Ryuji's eyes were wider. The blonde shook out his arms and hopped from foot to foot.

"H-How do you like that, you son of a bitch?" He laughed shakily.

"The keys, quickly," Akira stated, nodding towards the metal rung that had flown off of Kamoshida in his fall.

Ryuji looked rapidly between Akira and the keys, "h-huh? Oh! Yeah, right!"

Both boys raced out of the cell, Ryuji quickly locking the king in before he could regain his senses. As the man stood up, a string of curses on his lips, Ryuji chucked the keys as far as he could. Akira heard a faint splash as they landed out of sight.

"You damn brats! You're gonna regret this!" Kamoshida yelled, rattling the bars.

Akira snarled, baring his teeth like a wolf ready to tear out someone's throat. Ryuji's voice snapped him out of his unhinged demeanor.

"Dude, the fuck was that?" He asked, sounding very panicked, "what was any of this? W-we gotta find a way outta here. I'm freakin the eff out!"

Akira nodded shortly, looking off down the dimly lit corridor as the caged man continued to yell. Ryuji's words caught his attention again.

"And like, the hell was up with you? That weird thing came outta you, and you got all wild, and your clothes-"

Akira stiffened suddenly, it just now hitting him that he had acted completely deranged _in front of someone._ He bowed his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, trying quickly to put back in place that quiet facade that he had likely shattered. To his complete surprise, as he felt himself firmly cap his emotions once more, his leather coat and domino mask evaporated, leaving him in his school uniform again.

"Uh...what?" Ryuji mumbled.

"Let's just get out of here," Akira mumbled.

"Talk about a damn one-eighty," Ryuji breathed as the two trekked along the wet stone, "I really don't get you."

Akira said nothing, just approached the nearest iron gate and gave it a solid whack. Nothing. Of course.

"Damn, nothin? Well, there's gotta be another way, yeah?" Ryuji asked, looking around, "man I am...tryin real hard to convince myself that we ain't gonna die here."

"We won't," Akira replied. He nodded towards a broken bridge to their right. Water rolled through the gap between stone pathways, and while not ideal, the jump didn't look _too_ treacherous. "We can jump it."

"I mean, we kinda got no choice here, so yeah. Let's do it," Ryuji agreed.

\---

Several more winding paths, dead ends, and a jumped river lead them to a big winding staircase. Akira could hear Ryuji's labored breathing as the two ran up the spiraling stairs. At the top, he turned, setting a firm hand on Ryuji's shoulder. The boy was standing with his hands on his knees, panting harshly, and jolted when Akira touched him.

"Hey," Akira said, then patted his shoulder once, "we're gonna make it out of here. Are you good?"

Ryuji took in another gulp of air, nodding silently. Akira tilted his head slightly, eyes searching from behind the lenses that had fortunately reappeared on his face.

"I-I'm just...kinda outta practice runnin," Ryuji panted, "...and maybe still freaking out a little."

Akira looked left and right, seeing only the winding stairs and a torchlit wall. No guards could be heard. "We have a second. Catch your breath, and try to calm down."

"Man, how the hell are...are YOU so calm about this? You were-" he paused to take another deep breath, "you were freakin out just as hard as me in that cell. And then you went totally psycho, and now you're just, like, fine?"

Akira grimaced, he had really gone overboard back there. But Ryuji had been about to die, he couldn't just let that happen. "I just... have a good handle on my emotions. And for a second back there I didn't. That's all."

Ryuji laughed a little, "you're actually some kinda crazy bastard under that flat face, ain't ya?"

Akira gave a little smile, feeling very uncomfortable having someone see through any part of his act. "let's just keep going. You feeling a little better now?"

Ryuji nodded, "yeah. Thanks for letting me catch my breath."

The two pushed open the heavy wooden doors sitting at the top of the stairs, and were fantastically disappointed with the sight of even more labyrinthine stone pathways and rivers. 

Ryuji let out a load groan, motioning widely in front of them, "Aw dammit! What's with this shit?!"

Akira shook his head and walked on, hands shoved in his pockets as he scanned the area around them. Cell after cell, the _drip drip drip_ of droplets splashing into the stagnant puddles resting on the filthy floor, the stale smell of dirt and mold. Then something new caught Akira's attention, and it seemed to grab Ryuji's pretty quickly too.

"Wh-what the…" Ryuji breathed, staring at the same thing Akira was. A cage, suspended above the sharp rocks of the shallow river. In the cage sat what looked to be a boy, though it was difficult to tell with the metal dome situated on his head. With deep slots for eyeholes and a mouthhole, the helmet served to muffle the distressed cries the boy was letting out.

In fact, now that Akira had tuned into it, he realized there were more cries. More boys in cages, all pleading with some invisible salvation to come and help them. He felt his heart twist and his stomach wrench.

"What kind of demented place is this?" Akira found himself whispering.

"Those guys...c-can we help?" Ryuji asked, voice thick with worry. "We can't just leave em like this…"

"We're prisoners too," Akira pointed out, "we should focus on finding our own way out first. As...sick as this is… we have to save ourselves before we can help anyone else."

Ryuji let out a shaky breath, "yeah. Right, we'll come back for them."

Akira nodded sharply, and the two kept running. On and on, down slick stone pathways and around darkened corners. Past a drawn up bridge and straight into a dead end. Akira's eyebrows furrowed, fighting to keep his face neutral as he felt panic and frustration bubble in his stomach.

"A dead end? Y-you can't be for real with this!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Not so loud," Akira whispered sharply, "the guards are already looking for us, we have to find another path and keep quiet…"

"Hey!" A new voice suddenly piped up, making both boys about jump out of their skin. Akira felt the blue fire lick at his veins, searing at his finger tips and threatening to take over again, when the source of the voice walked-or bounced-into view.

"You aren't guards right?" The voice asked, small, paw-like hands gripping at the iron bars of a cell Akira was only now noticing. 

He took in its short stature, no higher than three feet, black and white and black and white-and MASSIVE blue eyes. Twitching ears and a swishing tail, sharp white fangs and a desperate meow in the back of its throat as it spoke up again, "please! Nyou gotta get me out of here! The key is _right_ there! I just-my tiny hands-"

"Dude what the hell is that thing?" Ryuji breathed, eyes wide as he stared at it.

"I don't…" Akira mumbled, "monster cat..?"

The little beast jumped up in anger, batting its paws against the bars harshly, "hey hey! I am _not_ a cat! No matter what it might look like! I am Morgana, and seriously, let me out!!"

"Why the eff would we do that?" Ryuji scoffed, shoving his thumbs through his belt loops, "you obviously look like some kinda enemy too ya know."

"What?! I'm a prisoner too!" The thing-Morgana-protested.

Akira glanced up and down over Morgana's strange form, also unsure whether or not they could trust this. "...what's in it for us?" he asked, lifting the key off of the nearby hook, but not moving to unlock the door.

"Are you serious?" Morgana hissed, "ugh! Fine! You wanna get out of here, right? Well _I_ know the way out, and I'll take you, but only if you let me out RIGHT NYOW!"

"Don't _yell,_ " Akira insisted, "the guards aren't far. ...you had better not be lying about this."

Iron key in rusted lock, twist- _click._ The creaky door swung open, the cat-like beast waddling out as fast as it could manage. Morgana stretched and gave a happy little meow, "free at last!"

"Hey, we don't got time to just stand here!" Ryuji pressed, "you gotta lead us outta here _now_!"

Akira could hear it, in the distance, barely audible over the drips of water and moans of caged people, the rapid clang of metal on stone.

"I hear them," he murmured, "hurry up and get us out of here."

Morgana huffed and waddled quickly towards the nearby bridge, "yeesh, I know we're in a hurry, but you could be a little less rude about it." He pointed one paw up at a disgustingly uncanny bust of Kamoshida, "see this? I'm too short, pull its mouth down, quick!"

Akira walked briskly over, giving the stone a firm yank. To his surprise, it gave way, the jaw of the statue gaping open as a loud shifting of gears was heard. The drawbridge rolled and stuttered down, landing with a loud CRACK as the snap of chains pulled taught. A way out. 

"Perfect," he breathed out quietly, feeling a light of hope spark in him. They really might make it out of here after all.

As the three bolted across the bridge, rounding the corner without a thought of caution, two guards suddenly filled their vision. Ryuji twisted at an odd angle, falling back in his hurry to stop, a sharp scream escaping him as he smacked against the floor.

Akira slid to a halt, legs splaying and one hand hitting the ground, fingers scraping against stone as he came to a stop just a few inches from the metal suit. The spark of hope ignited, roaring into an indignant flame. _How dare they block his path._

His mouth twisted into a scowl, one eye squinting and head tipping to the side as the guards turned on them. As they erupted into shadow, Akira felt his clothes curl and burst into flame, enveloping him once more in thick leather and the mystique of a domino mask.

Morgana looked over from where he had shifted into a fighting stance, "you! You can fight?! How-no, questions later, get ready, curly hair!"

His scowl slid into a smirk as the first enemy bore down on him, a pixie aiming a bolt of lightning. He grabbed his mask, whipping it off with a flourish as Arsene formed behind him, his massive wings beating. Akira tried to block, but he could still feel the electricity curl around his muscles and cling to his skin. It crackled and stung through his clothes, lighting his nerves with a terrible energy that he didn't entirely hate. 

A soft breath out to steady his shaking arms, the tremor of lightning was still felt as he raised one hand, "Eiha!"

The pixie was engulfed in cursed energy, damaged, but not down. Akira frowned, how annoying. Morgana stepped forward, a mewing laugh on his lips.

"Heh, so you can fight, but you're a total amateur. Watch how a pro does it!" He raised both hands up, a mighty wind whipping up around him in ropes of green and yellow, "Come! Zorro!" 

Akira watched, still trying to shake the static from his limbs, as a massive black figure formed behind Morgana. _Persona. He has one too._ He watched in silent intrigue as the cat-like being swished his tail and held his head high, "Garu!" 

A powerful fist of wind sliced through the air, twisting and spiraling around another enemy, slamming it around before knocking it to the ground, entirely dazed. Morgana smirked, his fang glinting in the dim light, "if you daze one enemy, it'll knock the whole opposition off their game enough that you can get in a second strike!" He emphasized this with a forward rush, brandishing a scimitar the size of his body.

The blade cut through the pixie, turning it to dust on the spot. As the second enemy rose, shaking its head and lifting its lantern, Akira rushed in, embedding his dagger deep in its gourd. Morgana gave a nod of approval as the second enemy screamed and perished, turned to dust in the wind.

"Not bad for a newbie," he stated.

"Yo yo okay hey!" Ryuji called, running up to the two, "look um, I didn't wanna get in the way or nothin, since I don't got a...whatever that is. But um, can either of you explain what the hell that was? Or hey! Why do Akira's clothes keep changin?"

Morgana looked back and forth between the two teens, his little paw tapping his chin as he thought it over. "Well, that 'thing' as nyou so stupidly put it, is a persona. It's a manifestation of ones inner rebellion. Not everyone has one, but the people who do have some deep seated need to fight for something. As for his clothes, it's actually pretty strange that they looked normal before. Did nyou have your persona back while nyou were just dressed like a school kid?"

Akira nodded, shoving his hands in the pockets of his coat.

Morgana nodded in thought, "um...I don't know, actually. See, what happens when a person awakens to their persona is, they take on the appearance of their rebellious soul. You saw him tear off that mask before, right? That's how you first summon your persona. We all wear masks deep in our hearts, hiding our true intentions, secrets, denial, or some part of ourselves that we don't want the world to see. When we remove that mask, we get the persona. A reflection of our true nature."

Akira tensed, a reflection of his true self? Visible, like, on the outside? That wouldn't do at all. He looked down anxiously, when had he even changed back into this? He couldn't remember. He didn't like this. Well, he liked the outfit, but he didn't like the idea of his true nature being exposed for all to see. He took a slow, straying breath. It wasn't a big deal, he'd just tuck that anger and desire to fight away again, just push it down so the fire in his eyes was less intense. As he settled down, neatly pushing all his inner desires back away, his clothes shifted and flickered, taking their normal appearance on once more.

Morgana and Ryuji both jumped, taken aback. Morgana poked Akira in the leg, "huh. That...shouldn't actually happen. Maybe you just don't have control over it yet?"

Akira adjusted his lenses, relieved to have them back, "we don't really have time for this."

Ryuji nodded uncertainly, "uh, yeah, right. We better get movin."

The three kept going, moving more carefully as they rounded corners and bolted down hallways. They came to another wooden bridge, this one with a single prison cell to the side of it. Akira was more than ready to just keep moving, but Ryuji caught his sleeve, stopping him in his tracks.

"Bro, wait," he said quietly, voice filled with worry, "look."

Akira turned, line of sight following Ryuji's. There was a boy in a red tracksuit, laying motionless on the floor of the cell. It was terrible, but he didn't think they could do much about it. Ryuji walked upto the cell, however, gripping the bars and gazing down at the trapped boy.

"He's still breathing, we gotta help."

Morgana saddled back up to them in a rush, "hey! What's the hold up over here?"

Akira nodded towards the cell. Morgana clicked his tongue and paced up to Ryuji, tugging on his pant leg, "you can't help him. Come on, we have to to before you end up back in one of those cells yourself."

Ryuji's fingers curled harder around the rusty iron, "but...he needs help. I can't just ignore him. We should bust him out."

"What? You wanna take hin with us?!" Morgana exclaimed. Akira wasn't sure why that was so unfeasible, but the cat seemed pretty insistent, "no no, nyou literally can't. Look-I don't have time to explain, just...let's say for now that you'll come back for him. Okay? He'll still be here."

Ryuji looked unconvinced, "but…"

Akira walked up, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "I think we need to trust Morgana on this. We'll come back for him, just like the others."

Ryuji sighed, nodding solemnly, "right. You better not be pullin something here Monamona-"

"It's Morgana! And we _really_ don't have time!" He hissed, turning and making his way across the bridge without another glance back.

"He's right," Akira said, squeezing Ryuji's shoulder, "come on, let's get _us_ to safety first." 

The blonde mumbled in begrudging agreement, and the two followed after Morgana. They all ran until they reached a dead end. Ryuji slammed into the nearest door, letting out a cry of frustration when it didn't budge, "dammit, I knew it, the damn monster cat was just trickin us!" He sobbed.

"...wrong door, monkey brains," Morgana mumbled, pushing the opposite door open with one paw.

"Oh," Ryuji said, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

Akira bit back a snicker, grabbing Ryuji's hand and tugging him along, "come on, it's okay."

Morgana led them into a big empty room, motioning to a big vent above some shelves, "tada! Freedom awaits!"

"That's a wall," Ryuji stated.

Morgana looked to Akira, mildly irritated.

"I mean, it _is_ a wall," Akira agreed, "but I have a feeling Morgana means we should use the vent, Ryuji."

Ryuji blinked, squinting up at it. "Oh! Man I didn't even see that! Welp, alrighty then!" He ran forward, hoisting himself over the shelf and giving the vent grate a heavy kick that sent it careening to the floor. Morgana leapt out of the way and Akira side stepped as it noisily clattered around against the stony ground.

"Haha, um, whoops?" Ryuji offered.

"Just...go," Morgana mumbled, rubbing his face.

Akira walked up to the cat, patting his head, "Morgana. Thanks for the help. I have a feeling we'll see each other again."

Morgana looked up at him, grinning broadly, "well, I have big plans, and someone like nyou would sure be a help, so I hope we do!"

"Hey! Whaddabout me?!" Ryuji called.

"I think you might be a detriment," Morgana grumbled.

"Don't be rude Monamona!" Ryuji huffed, twisting and ducking into the vent.

"It's!- oh, nevermind," Morgana grumbled.

Akira laughed, hauling himself up after Ryuji, "until next time, Monamona."

He heard the creature's frustrated noises behind him as he crawled after Ryuji. He did hope they would meet again. In...more favorable circumstances. The teens dropped out of the vent. Ending up back outside the castle. They both sighed in relief. Taking off for the alley they had first come through to get to this god forsaken place.

As they rounded the corner, coming back out onto the busy sidewalk, Akira's phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, squinting in confusion as an electronic voice said _'you have returned to reality. Welcome back.'_

"Returned..?" Akira mumbled.

"Dude, the hell is that?" Ryuji asked, leaning over Akira's shoulder to see.

"Some...weird app, I don't...was that place not reality at all?" He wondered aloud.

"Hey!" A sharp voice got their attention, and made Akira tense. Two men in blue, cops, approached them, "aren't you Shujin students? Why aren't you in school?"

Akira shoved his phone back in his pocket, teeth gritting as he avoided their gazes, opting to glare at the sidewalk instead.

"No no dude-uh, officer, I totally swear we were on our way to school! Then we like, took a wrong turn or somethin, and we ended up at this castle, a-and-"

One of the officers cut Ryuji off, holding up his hand, "are you on drugs? Do we need to call your teachers about this?"

"What?! No way am I on drugs!" Ryuji protested, nudging Akira's arm, "dude! Tell them about the castle!"

Akira exhaled sharply through his nose. Cops weren't the kind to take children's words for anything, let alone when their word was as fantastical as this. "Drop it," he said coldly.

"Do you know this boy? Are you friends?" The second officer asked, looking at Akira.

Akira continued to avoid their gazes, shoulders hunching a bit. "Yeah, something like that. Can we go?"

"Wh-Akira! Man! Are you serious right now?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Look, you kids best hurry to school right now, or we will report this," the first officer stated.

"No way! We weren't doin shit wrong!" Ryuji protested.

"Let's _go,_ Ryuji," Akira said, turning heel and practically sprinting away.

He heard Ryuji's stuttered protests, but they were growing closer, so he knew the blonde was following. "Dude, the hell? They needed to know that wasn't our fault-"

"Cops don't care," Akira spat, angry at no one in particular, "you'd be better off remembering that."

"Man...first the cell and now this, what happened to you?" Ryuji asked, tone taking on that worried quality again.

Akira didn't want to talk about himself, or his situation, or _anything_. Ryuji seemed kind, and trustworthy, but...he just couldn't handle this right now. Fortunately for him, any attempt at a reply was impossible, as they had just hit the school steps, and a well dressed man was waiting for them.

"Sakamoto! You're awfully late! And who's this you've dragged into your delinquency?" He barked.

Akira looked up, struggling to keep his expression flat, and the man's eyebrows furrowed, "ah. Kurusu, that makes sense." 

Akira's lip curled. 

"Where exactly were you?!" The teacher, maybe some kind of counselor, demanded.

"A c..a castle," Ryuji mumbled uncertainly.

The agitated staff member pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily, "right, since you have no intention of giving me an honest answer-"

"What's all the commotion out here?" A second voice joined. And as the figure came into view, both teens tensed. 

Kamoshida walked up, crossing his arms and looking down at them. Kurusu's fingers tightened around the strap of his schoolbag, and Ryuji scowled.

"My my, look at this," Kamoshida hummed, "late again, and hanging out with the school's newest problem...you never used to be like this Sakamoto. Back when you were with the track team-"

"Shut the hell up!" Sakamoto yelled, voice cracking.

"Hey! Be respectful!" the counselor snapped, "don't talk to Kamoshida san like that, honestly Sakamoto, I ought to suspend you!"

"Are you kidding?! He provoked me!"

"Now now," Kamoshida interjected, giving the man a winning smile, "let's just say we were both in the wrong, and resign to do better."

People like him made Akira want to throw up. Or go on a stabbing spree. It really depended on the day.

"Hmph. You're awfully generous," the man mumbled, "very well. I'll still be speaking with you in my office, Sakamoto."

"Aww! Fine." Ryuji huffed, frustrated. He didn't fight it though, and just headed up the stairs and inside.

"As for you, Kurusu," the counselor sighed, "Kawakami san has been waiting long enough. Go see her in the guidance office immediately. This is _not_ a good first impression."

With that, the man turned, heading inside after Ryuji. Akira started to climb the stairs, eyes straight ahead, but Kamoshida stopped him, stepping briefly into his path.

"Hey, don't I know you..?" He mused.

Akira glanced at him, hoping the reflection of his lenses was doing an adequate job at hiding the fury in his eyes. "That girl was with you. You asked her into your car." he stated. He wanted this man to know he wouldn't forget that.

Kamoshida's features shifted slightly, but Akira couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Oh, that's right. Well, you better keep your head down if you don't want people hating you. I'll overlook what happened this time. But cause _any_ trouble, and you'll be expelled. Got it?"

Akira felt a twinge in his lip, and replied without thinking, voice dark, "can you overlook more?"

"Don't push it," Kamoshida sneered.

Akira said nothing, just walked around him and headed inside. What a fantastic day this was turning out to be. And God, it wasn't even half over.

\---

He entered the guidance room and bowed, feeling so heavy and tired as Kawakami greeted him, "hey, it's nearly fifth period! Being this late on your first day? That's a pretty rough way to start the year. Sakura san isn't happy about this at all either."

"Right," Akira said softly, "I'm sorry."

"Do you even have a good reason?" Kawakami sighed.

Akira bit his lip, running through a thousand excuses in his head before finally saying, "I...got lost...and… sorry."

"You're so late," she grumbled, "I dunno if I believe that excuse… and I heard you were caught with that Sakamoto kun too…"

Akira's brow furrowed. " _That_ Sakamoto?"

Kawakami sighed, "look, if you don't want to make things worse for yourself, you should really watch what company you keep, and he's not good company."

Akira blinked slowly. Ryuji? That actual puppy dog of a boy? Clearly the adults here were wrong about a lot of people.

Kawakami stood up, motioning for him to follow her. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the class for fifth period-" she suddenly stopped herself, standing still in the middle of the hall. She wrung the ends of her shirt anxiously, "and...listen, Kurusu kun…"

Akira looked at her, patiently waiting for her to go on.

"Just... don't say anything unnecessary, okay?" Kawakami sighed, "just a quick introduction, and sit down."

She started heading down the hall again, and Akira heard her mumble 'why do I have to deal with this' under her breath. He supposed it was better than outright animosity…

\---

Twenty, Maybe thirty, pairs of eyes all locked on him. He didn't like being the center of so many people's attention, all of them staring, judging. His eyes swept over the room, taking in the rows of desks and the chalkboard taking up most of the back wall. The room felt too narrow, too crowded, he felt dizzy with so many eyes on him. Kawakami's introduction was like a distant buzz, barely registering in his ears.

"-that's why we had him attend from the afternoon on today," she finished. Seeing him just silently standing with hunched posture and downturns gaze, she gave him a gentle nudge, "introduce yourself, Kurusu kun."

Akira took in a short breath, "I'm...Akira Kurusu...it's nice to meet you all."

The classroom was filled with a rush of noise. Not loud chatter or harsh sounds, but the much more anxiety inducing sound of overlapping whispers. Akira stared down at the floor, just waiting for it to die back down. It made his stomach twist and his heart flip, everyone's knives were already sharpened, their detestment of him was all too clear, all because of some shit a handful of adults said. Akira wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or scream, it was so damn frustrating.

"He seems quiet, but I bet when he snaps…"

"I heard he stabbed a guy."

"Does he think he's fooling anyone, acting shy like that?"

"I hope he doesn't sit by me.."

Kawakami rubbed the bridge of her nose, letting out a heavy sigh, "go take the empty seat back there, and we'll start class."

Akira nodded silently, walking through two rows of students, trying to ignore the way they shifted away from him in their seats. They were so scared, they hated him so much. Well, right now, he thought he might just hate them right back. He stopped, bitter thoughts stalling when a flash of blonde caught his eye. He heard a familiar voice hiss, "lies."

He looked up, eyes locking with a teal glare. The pretty girl from that morning. But what was she talking about..?

"You weren't sick," she whispered, her hands occupied with tearing a page of notebook paper into tiny pieces, "I saw you at the station."

Akira, once again at a loss for words, just mumbled, "you...that teacher-"

"Do they know each other?" A nearby voice whispered.

"Of course Takamaki would know someone like him."

"Does that mean she's cheating on Mr. Kamoshida with him?"

"What a slut."

The blonde girl made a face, turning to glare down at her desk. painted nails ripped through the notebook paper more aggressively, shredding it until it was confetti. Akira turned and took his seat behind her, his mind reeling. She was with that teacher..? Was he manipulating her that far? No, this was just students spreading cruel rumors. They thought he was a dangerous criminal, he couldn't trust their idle, thoughtless murmurings about anyone else.

\---

Akira walked out of the classroom as the bell rang, tired and slow as he pushed past more whispering students. He swore he could feel bags forming under his eyes, and he still had a whole year of this to look forward to. He sighed, adjusting his shoulder bag and taking a step into the hall. Sleek wooden floors, a water fountain, students milling about before heading home, torches and red carpets and a suit of armor-

Akira blinked as the environment swam dizzyingly before him, visions of castle hallways warbling in his field of vision like the world's most intrusive optical illusion. He narrowed his eyes, teeth gritting as he pressed one hand to his forehead. The stress of that morning must still be getting to him. As he shook his head, clearing the remnants of the fantastical castle from his mind, he heard Kawakami behind him.

"Hey, everything okay?"

Akira turned towards her, still blinking his way back into reality, "I...yeah I...this school...is...school."

"...are you _sure_ you're okay?" Kawakami asked, looking up at him somewhat worriedly. 

Akira simply nodded, one eye squinting closed as his head began to absolutely throb. This entire situation was giving him a headache. It was too much stress and nonsense to try and manage all at once.

"You should probably head straight home by the way, Sakura san sounded pretty angry over the phone," she sighed, rubbing her arm and looking away. "And ah...I'm sure you noticed already about the other students…I just wanted you to know that I wasn't the one who told them."

That was real funny. She didn't want him to blame her? Or was she just scared of him? Did she think he was dangerous too, and that he'd hurt her if she was the one who sold him out? It didn't matter who told the others about his record. It was clear to him that every teacher in this school saw him as nothing more than a burden. He was only here for political reasons, to make the school look good for trying to reform a terrible delinquent like him. She didn't care about his well being, and pretending otherwise wasn't going to earn her any points in his eyes. Rotten. Every adult seemed to be these days.

"It doesn't really matter either way," he finally said.

"Well, look, just try and keep your head down alright? And about Sakamoto kun, it's really best if you steer clear-"

She stopped short as Ryuji walked up to them. He shot Kawakami a cold stare, then turned towards Akira, nodding in greeting.

"Sakamoto," she sighed, "I heard the cops caught you cutting classes today."

"That's not really your business," Sakamoto grumbled.

"And you still haven't dyed your hair back to black," she scolded, crossing her arms.

Ryuji huffed, "yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Ey, Akira. Meet me on the roof, okay? Cool." He gave Akira's shoulder a firm pat before leaving again, turning and hurrying on up the nearby stairs.

"You see what I mean?" Kawakami asked, "nothing but trouble…" she shook her head and turned, heading down the hall.

Akira sighed shortly, head still pounding. There was too much going on, he just wanted to go find a field and lay face down in the grass until the earth reclaimed him. He wasn't going to leave his new acquaintance hanging though, and turned towards the stairs. However, before he could so much as take a single step, Kamoshida walked out of the stairwell, Principal Kobayakawa right behind him.

"-complete mistake letting a student like him in here, it's going to mar the good reputation I've built for this school," Kamoshida was saying.

"Oh don't worry so much. You're still our star, but reforming a boy like him will look good on the school as well. We need little achievements to back up your greatness you know!" the Principal assured.

"Still, are you sure this is wise?" Kamoshida pressed, "he was the culprit of an assault case, and he's already associating with Sakamoto. Sounds pretty dangerous to me.."

"Just let me worry about the details, and keep up your amazing work, alright?" Kobayakawa insisted, patting Kamoshida's shoulder.

Kamoshida sighed, "fine. I'll let you stress over the delinquent, and I'll just do even more to meet your expectations of me."

The two parted ways, but Akira stayed rooted to the spot. His teeth grit and his fingers curled harshly against his shoulder strap. He was glad he had his glasses, because he was sure his molten glare would melt the back of that damn teacher's head without them. That guy… the principal too… it was like everyone in his immediate vicinity was trying their damndest to kick him square in the dick today.

He turned and rushed up the stairs, wanting to just find Ryuji and get this over with so he could head back to the cafe. Where hopefully Sakura wouldn't kick him out, and he'd be allowed to go upstairs and scream himself hoarse into his pillow. As he rounded a corner, he ran headlong into someone, his long legs tangling with theirs and his glasses spinning off as he crumpled practically on top of this person. Great. Fantastic. Another excellent first impression.

"Ahh I'm sorry! Dang it-" a nervous voice mumbled, struggling to untangle from Akira.

Akira shifted and twisted, taking in the appearance of the boy he had run into. He didn't wear a school blazer, just the white turtleneck, and his face was absolutely _covered_ in bruises and bandages. His tired eyes held no light, and he looked on the verge of tears. He was struggling to pull away from Akira, his thin arms somehow completely tangled with Akira's shoulder strap.

"Hey just-calm down," Akira said, reaching out and going about untangling this boy. "It was my fault. Are you okay?"

The boy finally looked up at the person who had knocked him over, and his dull eyes went wide. His cheeks tinged red and he went entirely still as Akira finished freeing him. "There," Akira murmured, standing back up and offering the boy a hand.

The smaller teen, mouth agape and eyes still incredibly wide, took the extended hand. He got to his feet, looking a bit wobbly, and said, "um, I-it's no problem. Y-you're um…"

Akira sighed tiredly, "don't worry, I'm not here to bother anyone." He re-adjusted his bag and went to walk off, but the boy stopped him.

"Wait!" He squeaked, "I-I um...K-Kurusu kun, right?"

Akira looked over his shoulder, raising one eyebrow. The nervous boy looked incredibly flustered, tensely tugging on the end of his shirt as he tried to find his words. 

Finally he managed to say, "Mishima. Yuuki. Th-that's me, I mean. Look um, I...s-sorry about everyone."

Akira's features softened a bit, relieved that someone was trying to be nice to him, "thanks. It's not your fault, though."

The boy, Mishima, looked away and held something out. "... You dropped these."

Akira's eyes widened. His glasses. He hadn't even realized. He snatched them from Mishima, replacing them quickly on his face, "thank you. I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost...just, thanks."

Mishima nodded sheepishly, "g-good luck this year."

Akira smiled again before turning, carrying on his way up to the roof. Well hey, that was two students who didn't entirely hate him. It was better than nothing.

\---

The door had a 'no entry' sign hanging half off of it, but Akira found it unlocked, and swiftly pushed it open. A rush of fresh air and the smell of fresh grown vegetables hit him. He took a deep breath as he walked out onto the roof, delighted to finally smell something other than the thick, choking suburbia all around him. He saw a small vegetable garden off to the left of the roof, and Ryuji, leaning on a bunch of desks to the right.

Akira nodded in greeting, and Ryuji sat up more in his chair. "Hey. Sorry to drag you up here, but I just had to talk about this morning. That castle, Kamoshida, that cat thing… I just… I didn't dream that, right?"

Akira shook his head, moving to lean against one of the desks in the pile, "not a dream. Not unless we both had it."

Ryuji gave a breathless little laugh, rubbing the back of his neck, "Right...I guess. But just cause we both remember, well, it don't mean much, huh?"

"If you're thinking about telling the cops again, you're just going to get yourself arrested for drug suspicion," Akira replied.

"No no that ain't it!" Ryuji huffed, "I was just freakin out earlier today, ya know? I mean, who wouldn't? But that place totally disappeared, no way somebody would believe it really exists without seein it. I was _there_ and I still don't quite believe it."

Akira turned his gaze to the cityscape, looking over the lip of concrete surrounding the roof and taking in the sunset as it basked countless buildings in gold and pink. He closed his eyes, sighing softly, "maybe we should forget about it."

Ryuji shifted, and it took a minute before he replied, "I know where you're comin from. And I want to too, but...if it _was_ real… all those trapped people.. Kamoshida can't be allowed to just keep doing shit to them."

Akira rolled his head onto his shoulder, looking sidelong down at Ryuji. "You really are a good guy, huh? What's your deal with this teacher anyway?"

Ryuji sighed heavily, tilting back in his chair, "it's...complicated. But the guy's a bastard. I told you some about him this morning yeah? He's a total asshole, and I know he's abusing his power. And the students. That castle...it mighta been some wild shit, but it was exactly what Kamoshida is really like. It felt so real… like, like we were seein some kinda twisted fantasy of his."

Akira nodded a bit, looking back out towards the city. "What can we do about it?"

Ryuji groaned, sliding off of the seat entirely and just laying against the cement of the roof. "Man, I know okay? Everyone hates me, the teachers all see me as some delinquent punk, and you actually _are_ a delinquent. Or at least you're stuck with that label. We're kinda in the same garbage boat, I know we ain't got no power."

Akira shook his head. "No. You didn't understand. I mean, what _can_ we do? I can't just allow these scum to get away with anything they like, just because they think they have power over me." His eyes narrowed and he held a hand out, closing one eye and grasping the sun in his palm, "they think they're all powerful...but everyone has a weakness. Let's say that castle is real. What can we do with that? Kamoshida clearly didn't remember seeing us there. Maybe...maybe that not-cat can tell us something. He seemed to know a lot."

Ryuji's eyes widened, he propped himself up on his hands, "damn, you sure talk a lot when you're spoutin nonsense. You seriously think that place can help? A-and you wanna try and knock Kamoshida off his high horse? You really are a crazy bastard."

Akira stood up straight, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down at Ryuji. "I want justice. For everyone too weak to defend themselves. You seem to want that too, judging by how much you wanted to save those caged guys, right?"

Ryuji pushed himself to his feet. "justice, huh?"

Akira held a hand out to the blonde, "I don't know if that place is real, or if it's connected to the real Kamoshida in any way, but let's try and find it again."

Ryuji grinned and took his hand, grasping it firmly, "ya know what? Hell yeah. Let's do it, what do we got to lose, right?"

Akira nodded sharply, "now we just...need to figure out how to find it again."

"Yeah...that little problem," Ryuji shook his head, "nah, nah I'll figure it out! Lemme think about it overnight, kay? We'll meet back up tomorrow after school. We can figure this shit out."

"Alright," Akira offered a small smile, "see you tomorrow then."

\---

With renewed purpose, Akira felt slightly less heavy on his way to the cafe. Sure everyone still hated him, and yes all the adults around him were adamant about kicking him into the dirt, but the prospect of punishing someone improved his mood just a bit. That castle… he wasn't sure why, but he just had a feeling it was important, that it could help them with this asshole.

As the cafe bell chimed and he was greeted by a disgruntled old man, reality fully settled on his shoulders once again. He remembered that, oh right, he was still straddling the issue of potentially winding up homeless because he was late to school.

"You…" Sakura gave an irritated sigh, "Why did I get a call from the school about you being late? I thought you got up and left on time this morning."

Akira bit his lip, cycling through possible explanations before finally deciding that it wasn't worth it. Sakura wouldn't believe him anyway. He just looked down at the floor, murmuring a soft, "I'm sorry."

The man sighed again, "you're on thin ice as it is. You realize if you slip up, your life is forfeit, right? You do understand what being on probation means, don't you?"

Akira's shoulders hunched a bit more, as if trying to curl in on himself. He didn't want to go back to that juvenile facility, the people there...he inhaled shakily, "I...I do."

Sakura nodded, still seeming agitated, but like he thought Akira was being genuine, "fine. Just watch it from now on. I can't help you if you get yourself in more trouble."

Akira tugged on his bangs, staring vacantly at the floor. He heard Sakura's phone ring, and he started talking to someone, but Akira wasn't really registering any words. His mind was going over the time before his trial again. Why had his parents let him stay in that place? They could have gotten him out of there sooner than they had. A week wasn't long, but it was too long at the same time. He hadn't realized he'd still just been standing there until Sakura snapped his fingers at him, getting his attention.

"Hey, what are you just standing there for? Go upstairs," Sakura said.

"R-right," Akira replied.

"And don't forget to lock the door after I leave!" Sakura called as Akira made his way upstairs.

Akira walked to the middle of his room, just standing there for a minute before the weight of the day fully caught up to him, bringing him to the ground. He lay motionless on the floor, listening as the bell chime told him that he was alone in the cafe once more. Today had been… a lot. And now that he was finally alone and able to untense a little, the roller coaster of emotions flooded him all at once.

The girl and that teacher, Ryuji, the castle, the anger and merciless power that strange persona thing had kindled in him, the weight of person after person beating him into the ground, telling him over and over how worthless he was and how easily he could end up back in jail. One wrong step. One wrong move. One slip and he was toast. It wasn't like his parents cared if he was put away for a few years, hell, they had sent him here without a second thought. 

He slipped his phone out of his pocket, staring at the strange eyeball app for a minute. He didn't bother trying to delete it this time, just ignored it and opened his messaging app. Maybe he could text his mom, tell her how things were going here? Or his dad, tell him the school seemed decent even if the people didn't. He stared at the message box, the last text he had was from his mother, two weeks ago, telling him not to be late for the trial. 

He closed the app. If his parents cared at all, they'd message him. And he already knew they wouldn't. Akira grit his teeth and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling beams and blinking away tears as they formed. He wasn't even sure what he was crying about, whether it was sadness or frustration.

He rubbed his face and sat up, whipping his phone at the pile of junk in the corner. It landed with a slight rustle. He groaned and got up, not sure if he wanted to hit something or just break down. He knew he needed his damn phone though, and was already scolding himself for throwing it. He dug through the pile of unsorted garbage, teary eyes blinking in surprise as he found his phone in the pot of a big plant.

"Oh..?" He mumbled, dragging the whole thing out of the pile. It looked like some kind of rubber tree, half dead, but not beyond help. He pushed it next to his bed, away from the rest of the junk pile, and retrieved his phone from the dirt.

After going downstairs to lock the door and grab a cup of water, he was back in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed and carefully pouring the water into the pot.

"You got left behind too, huh?" Akira murmured, "I wonder what you did wrong?"

He set the empty cup aside and started plucking the dead leaves off of the plant, "this place sucks. And who knows how long it'll be before I get kicked out? At least I found you, I guess."

He cleaned off the rest of the plant, freeing it of the thin layer of dust that had settled over it, "I guess I should call you something, if I'm gonna try and keep you alive. Even plants need names, right?"

Akira was pretty sure he was actually losing it, talking to a plant like this, but hey, it was better than soaking in his negative thoughts. He sat back with a sigh, thinking it over for a minute, "I know a good one. How about Ren? Clever, right?"

He stared at the plant, it already looked a little better without the dead leaves weighing it down. He sighed and flopped onto his back on the bed, "hey. I've got a good question. Ren, why doesn't anyone care about what happens to me?"

He felt himself tearing up again, but he just kept rambling to the rubber tree, "I'm not the best kid, but I thought I deserved better than this, you know? I thought they cared more than this. Leaving their own kid in a place like that for a week...dad said he thought it'd be a good lesson. What kind of lesson was that supposed to be?" He took a shaky breath, "I don't know what they thought they were teaching me. I'm not going to stop standing up for people. I think...I think maybe I hate my parents, you know that?"

He sighed, wiping the water from his eyes and rolling onto his side. He reached out and flicked one of the plant's leaves, "thanks for listening," he murmured, "let's hope tomorrow is better." 

Feeling slightly better after venting to the rubber tree, he went and got dressed in his sleep clothes, then pretty much collapsed into bed. He was so fucking tired, but at least he had finding that castle to look forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been super happy to see the positive response to this story! Writing Akira is very fun, and I'm thrilled about this project. It's a little more in depth than my other works, so updates will be slow for awhile, but I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story as is progresses!


	3. The Magician

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA SURPRISE!! The fact this updated is a really big surprise, yeah? More on that in the end notes, friends! Enjoy the chapter!!

_ The world has felt dark and crushing for a long time, and with no way forward, I thought all I could do was endure it. But suddenly, there was a spark of light in my hopeless cave. A way forward, a way out. A promise of change. I fully intend to grasp this spark, and ignite a roaring fire. _

  
  
  


_ Blue and black. Chains and darkness. Akira's eyes opened shortly after falling asleep, and he found himself in the uncomfortable cell he had dreamt of just the other night. There was less panic and more annoyance this time as he felt the weight of chains against his wrists. His heart still thundered against his ribs, the panic in his nerves evident, even if his brain could rationalize a little better this time.  _

_ Akira rose from the creaky cot, bare feet slapped against cold stone as he made his way up to the bars, an incredulous sneer building on his face as the long-nosed man from before sat out of reach. Watching, waiting, amused.  _

_ "Welcome back," he chuckled, a deep sound that Akira could feel in his ribs. "It seems you have finally taken the first step towards your rehabilitation. You have awakened to your persona, a power that will lend itself well to your goals." _

_ "My goals?" Akira asked, eyes narrowing. Who was this man to conduct his life like an orchestra on a stage? Who was he to tell him what goals he had and what he should use his power for?  _

_ "Be respectful, inmate!" Caroline snapped, smacking her nightstick against the bars. _

_ "Allow our master to explain," Justine said plainly, "you know nothing of your new power, guidance is required." _

_ Akira's fingers thrummed against the bars, and he said nothing else. The magical children had a point. He had no idea what persona was, nor how he could properly use it. He would hear Igor out, the man certainly seemed to know more than him, and any knowledge he could gain would probably prove useful. _

_ "Your persona," Igor began, holding his hand out, palm up and fingers splayed, "is the will of your rebellion. The power you hold in your heart, screaming to be let free. Your strength, your determination, your fury."  _

_ A blue card appeared above Igor's palm, spinning slowly over his hand, a gentle sparkling light floating off of it. The card depicted a silhouette of a man on a cliff edge, a traveller's bag slung over one shoulder, one foot raised and ready to step straight off the rocky slope. It reminded Akira of an old joker card from a deck of playing cards he used to own. _

_ "This," Igor stated, holding the card aloft, "is the representation of your power. A special power, at that. You are what is known as a wild card, with abilities greater than that of other persona users. The details are not important at the moment, but this grand power shall be used as a means to train you into a most excellent thief." _

_ Akira's silver eyes reflected the ethereal blue light, watching the card spin over and over, the graphic on one side catching his eye less than the butterfly emblazoned on the back. "Wild card?" He murmured, mostly to himself, "thief..?" _

_ "As I have stated," Igor grinned, too wide and with too many teeth, "the details are unimportant as of now." His fist closed over the card, and it vanished in a puff of glittering blue.  _

_ "This is all meaningless to me," Akira said, irritation seeping into his tone as his fingers curled around the metal bars. "Powers? Thievery? Some grand role you claim I'm destined to play? Why exactly should I listen to-" _

_ Akira jolted as Caroline struck the bars with her nightstick, a sharp glare in her golden gaze, "BE SILENT INMATE! Petulant, insolent worm! Our master has graced you with a gift! You will be grateful or you will be silent!" _

_ Akira lip curled, finding the child annoying. What did any of this matter? This was some kind of bizarre dream state, surely. There was no bite to her threat, not when he was sure he would just wake back up in bed after this whole mess. _

_ "You are having trouble believing your circumstances," Igor rumbled, unphased by Akira's attitude, "that is to be expected. But worry not, soon you will come to understand. By the by, what do you think of the metaverse navigator?" _

_ Akira squinted one eye, fingers tapping restlessly against the bars. _

_ "The app on your phone," Igor elaborated, "a useful tool for an aspiring thief. Your link between your reality, and the realm between, the metaverse. The castle you visited resides there, in the world unlike your own." _

_ Akira heard a bell and looked up, trying to find the source.  _

_ "Ah, our time is up it seems," Igor hummed, "use the navigator as you see fit, I shall provide it to others as well, should they prove useful in your rehabilitation. We shall meet again." _

_ Akira looked back at Igor, trying to ask something, anything else. Anything that might help make sense of this incomprehensible mess, but his vision blurred and tunneled, and suddenly he saw nothing at all. _

\---

Akira woke with a start, a question still on his lips. He breathed out the first word of it as he sat, slender fingers trailing through his sleep mussed hair. "What..?"

He sighed heavily, flopping back against the bed. He rubbed his face vigorously, trying to scrub the remains of the confused nightmare out of his retinas. And it  _ was _ a nightmare, unconventional as it seemed. Nothing frustrated and scared him more than uncertainty, uncertainty and the harsh, unforgiving coldness of a jail cell. The loli girls were a bit odd, but the rest really did feel like something out of his subconscious's worst and strangest fears.

He held up his phone, eyes studying the many many apps, coming to rest over the glaring, star-pupiled eye. He squinted at it, wondering if there really was any chance that strange place was real, and if that man had something to do with all this strange other-world business…

Akira shook his head, getting up and dragging out his box of stuff, rifling around for his uniform. It didn't matter right now how much of that was real, what mattered was that the other world-metaverse, if Igor was real and truthful, did exist. And there was some sliver of a chance that he and Ryuji could use it to get back at that disgusting teacher. That was good enough for now.

\---

The air smelled sweet and fresh, a wonderful treat after the previous day of rain. Akira enjoyed the crisp, clean air all the way up until the dingy, sweaty subway ride snuffed it out. He curled in on himself as he crowded into the train car, hugging his schoolbag to his chest as he closed his eyes and tried his hardest not to panic in the packed space. He was trying to distract himself with the day’s plans, wondering how they might track down that castle again, when the news bulletin over the tv caught his attention.

_ "Another strange and frightening incident today, as the manager of a duckburger committed arson, burning the restaurant to the ground. Stranger still is that he claims to have no recollection of the events, and is currently in police custody, being monitored for signs of mental distress-" _

"A real shame," an old woman's voice came from somewhere near Akira, "so many frightening incidents lately…"

"First the subway conductor, and now this," a man grumbled in reply, "too many people going loony lately. I think it's the spring madness."

"How many times do I have to tell you that spring madness doesn't exist? Eijiro, Eijiro are you listening to me?"

Akira sighed, looking down at his bag as he tried to tune out the bickering couple. Another incident involving someone going mad? It was admittedly strange. At least it was something to get his mind off the crowded subway.

The walk to school was uneventful, as was most of the school day. Akira fiddled with his pencil and stared out the window during most of his classes, largely ignoring the harsh words that buzzed around him like a swarm of angry wasps. The blonde girl in front of him-Takamaki, he thought-seemed to have it almost as bad as him. For as many rumors as there were about him, he was catching an equal amount of disgusting chatter about her. And that was to say nothing of the murmured cruelty directed at Ryuji. For every harsh word against Akira, there were two for the blonde boy.

Akira walked silently down the halls as the last afternoon class let out, feeling distant as students whispered to one another about him. He had heard everything by now, rumors of drugs, alcohol, robbery… he thought his least favorite were the assumptions around his actual probation, the girls who gave him wary looks because the label 'assault' meant 'sexual deviance' to them. It was as disheartening as it was frustrating. He had saved a woman from the very thing he was now being assumed of, and some fucking teacher with twisted desires was getting away with his shit completely unnoticed?

"...what to write..?" He heard a timid female voice mumble, "I need to have something to print by tomorrow afternoon, what a hassle.."

Akira stopped, glancing over towards the voice. A girl was standing by the wall, fiddling with her long dark hair as she mumbled to herself. A newspaper club member, it seemed. Akira turned towards her fully, risking a question.

"Looking for a story?" He asked.

The girl jumped, a startled squeak escaping her as she looked up at him with wide eyes. "Oh god, you startled me! Y-yeah, I'm in the newspaper club, but it's super dead. Our club might get shut down if I can't find something juicy to latch on to."

Akira shoved his hands in his pockets, tilting his head disarmingly, "heard rumors about any teachers here?"

The girl shook her head, tapping her fingers together as she seemed to think it over, "teacher rumors..? Well, a couple, but nobody would approve an article that scandalizes a teacher."

"Mind if I ask about the rumors you've heard?"

"Um...just typical gossip. Some rumor about a female teacher moonlighting as a prostitute, something about a male teacher harassing female students… oh, and I've even heard people say our principal has mob connections. It's all a bunch of outlandish nonsense if you ask me. None of that makes for good journalism," the newspaper girl sighed.

Akira fiddled with his bangs, another question itching in his mind. He knew he shouldn't ask, it would only upset him more, but he couldn't help it, "... what about the new transfer student..?"

The girl looked up at him, squinting hard, as if trying to peer past his reflective lenses, "a story about him? Like, what? Some kind of article about all the stuff he's been accused of? Drugs, knives, vandalism, assault...that kind of thing would never get approved. And, besides…"

Akira was quiet, waiting for her to finish the thought.

"I...don't know how much of that I believe either," she whispered, as if afraid someone would overhear her daring to say Akira might not be as bad as people thought.

Akira raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised. "Really?"

She nodded, "I mean, I know he's a delinquent and everything, but rumors get out of hand pretty fast. You can't trust idle gossip, no matter who it's about. ...why do you care so much anyway? Actually, I can't remember seeing you around before…"

Akira stiffened, feeling suddenly very self conscious. Would this girl be afraid of him once he introduced himself? He knew she had just said she didn't believe all the gossip, but still, someone like him was frightening, right?

"...Kurusu...Akira," he mumbled, almost having a physical difficulty introducing himself.

Her eyes widened in realization, "Oh, you're-oh… I...I didn't think you'd look so… normal. Um, listen, I'm not gonna judge somebody I don't know, but I'm on thin enough ice as it is with my failing club. I really shouldn't be seen around you, the teachers might think-"

Akira's heart sank. At least she wasn't afraid, maybe it was a step in the right direction? "Yeah. I… I understand."

He turned to go, but the girl stopped him, "h-hey, wait a sec. Um… rumors pass, you know? Just keep your head down, something more interesting will catch everyone's attention before you know it."

Akira let out a small breath, at least she was trying to be nice about telling him to fuck off. "Thanks-"

"Sato. Sato Minori," she supplied.

Akira nodded, "then thank you, Sato san."

Akira turned, not having to walk for long before he spotted Ryuji's lightning hair among the sea of blacks and browns. He felt a small smile tug at his lips, and sped up, happy to see someone who wasn't actively ostracizing him. Ryuji, who had a bitter expression on his face, actively brightened when he saw Akira approaching.

"Akira! Man, I was startin to think you already headed home or somethin," he greeted.

Akira shook his head. "We had plans today. You didn't think I forgot, did you?"

Ryuji scratched the back of his neck, "I mean, I kinda thought you might just flake or somethin… like, maybe you'd come to your senses by today."

"Don't worry, I'm just as crazy as I was yesterday," he teased tonelessly. 

"God. You say everything so flat, how am I supposed to tell when you're jokin?" Ryuji huffed, heading towards the school entrance with him.

Akira chuckled softly, "I dunno. Good luck I guess."

Ryuji stopped by the gate, tapping his foot against the pavement, "alright… so, we're tryin to find that castle again today, yeah? Whaddya think we should do? Jus retrace our steps or somethin?"

Akira looked around, taking a slow breath of the crisp, spring air. The narrow street beside the school was still bustling with students, all idly talking as they headed home or off to part time jobs. Akira wasn't sure retracing their steps would really work, given that just walking the usual route to school probably wasn't how they ended up in a parallel dimension. But… it was somewhere to start at least.

"I guess," he said simply.

The two started walking then, going up to the subway entrance, then carefully tracing their steps back. They paced slowly around the throngs of students, eyes on the pavement as Ryuji counted out loud for some reason. Akira heard a couple people nearby whispering about them, seeming to be nervously wondering what the two were scheming. A girl walking down the street towards them hurriedly turned around when she saw who they were. When they passed the vending machines, Akira heard a couple kids mumbling something about wishing 'that delinquent and sakamoto' would take each other out so no one would have to worry about them anymore.

To say Akira was irritated by the time they reached the school gate again was an understatement. He tapped his foot restlessly against the ground, one hand fiddling with his glasses as Ryuji looked around.

"Dammit! I guess I had my hopes too high," Ryuji groaned, "should we try again or somethin? It  _ was  _ right here, right?"

A nervous first year ducked her head, bolting past them, and Akira bit back a scowl, "I don't think this is going to work."

Ryuji scratched his head, looking lost in thought, "but it was right here… and I dunno what else we coulda done…"

Akira looked up at the building, sighing heavily, "I don't know. You wanna try a map or something?" He asked sarcastically.

Ryuji tipped his head, sarcasm entirely lost on him, "nah, I tried that last night. 'sides, how would we even put that in a nav app?"

Akira's eyes widened, "nav… hang on." He pulled his phone out, looking down at the strange eye on his screen.

Ryuji walked closer, looking at it with him, "oh yeah! You had that nav app thing, right? Didn't it say some shit like 'returned to reality' or somethin when we came back? Was that this thing? God, look at that eye…"

"Cute, right?" Akira asked flatly.

Ryuji shook his head, "I dunno bout all that… but this could be our answer, right?"

Ryuji tapped the app, grinning as a new screen pulled up, "yeah! Check it, your search history! Woah, Kamoshida, Shujin, and castle… was it like, listening to us talk before?"

Akira squinted down at it, this was what Igor had been talking about then… so… it  _ was  _ real. Those dreams weren't dreams, and this strange 'destiny' Igor talked about… was that real too? He didn't have much time to mull it over, as Ryuji had just swiped his phone out of his hands and was now pressing a button.

"Aaand clicky," he said, smiling proudly.

_ 'Beginning navigation' _ came the phone's electronic tone. Akira looked around quickly, noting that the entrance had fortunately cleared of other students. "Beginning navi-?" he started to ask, but was cut off by a pounding pain in his head.

"Agh!" He hissed, grabbing the sides of his skull. Ryuji appeared to be in a similar state, one eye squinted shut, phone shaking in his hand as he tried to keep looking at the school.

"It worked," Ryuji exhaled after a moment.

Akira let go of his head, the pain dulling fairly quickly. He took his phone back from Ryuji, turning to see the massive stone structure, once again looming over them. "Metaverse…" he mumbled, "it really did work…"

Ryuji gasped loudly beside him, "dude! Your clothes went wonky again!"

Akira blinked, looking down in surprise. His hands were wrapped in red leather, and the black tailcoat was back in place, leather tails trailing out behind him, heeled boots in place of his normal shoes. This was the outfit he'd been put in when he awoke to his persona… so this was a reflection of his inner self..? Well, if he was going to be taking down a corrupt man with Ryuji, the blonde may as well get to see this part of him. Besides, the sleek coat made him feel kind of suave, he liked it.

"Hm, not bad," he mumbled, tugging on the coat's popped collar.

"You  _ like  _ it?!" Ryuji asked, "ain't that beside the point?!"

"You wish you looked this incredible," Akira replied, sliding his hands down his front, a sharp grin on his face.

Ryuji's face tinged pink and he looked quickly away, scratching behind his ear. "Sh-shut up man."

"Hey!" A sharp meow caught their attention, and both boys looked over. Morgana, bouncing swiftly up to them on his stubby little legs. "The shadows were starting to act up, and nyow I see why! Nyou morons  _ actually _ came back?!"

"Hell yeah we did! Do you not remember me sayin' I was gonna save the guys Kamoshida is abusin?!" Ryuji replied, crossing his arms.

"Well you're too noisy!" Morgana hissed, "wait, what are nyou even planning to do?" 

"Uhh… Save em?" Ryuji offered vaguely. 

"We're here to serve justice," Akira said, throwing one of the tails of his coat back dramatically. 

Morgan's ears flattened, his expression somewhere between disbelief and nausea, "seriously..?" 

"Yeah seriously! This dude's gotta magic guy or something, and I brought snacks! I mean, healin stuff," Ryuji said, producing three cracker packets and a bottle of juice. 

Morgana sighed, his little paw rubbing his cheek. Probably because it was too short to reach his temple, "He has a  _ persona,  _ yes. And nyou guys… you're seriously here to stop the king? I can't convince nyou otherwise?" 

"No way," Akira replied, sliding his hands in his pockets. 

Morgana let out another hefty sigh, the kind of sigh Akira had only ever heard from his mother on days when the neighbor children wouldn't stop pestering her to let him out to play. It made him smile just a bit more genuinely, watching this cat acting like a stressed parent. 

"Fine, if you're going in anyway, I guess I'd better guide nyou. It wouldn't do any of us any good if nyou idiots got yourselves killed, after nyall!" 

"hell yeah! You're a pal, Monamona!" Ryuji grinned. 

"It's  _ Morgana.  _ Now, since nyou amateurs busted down the front door on your last visit, it's sure to be heavily guarded. Follow me, we're going in  _ thief  _ style," Morgana meowed confidently. 

Thief… Akira was sure he'd heard Igor mention something about thieves. Strange. Still, he couldn't focus on it now, the task at hand needed to be his sole focus. Even if he… wasn't entirely sure  _ how  _ this place could lend itself to punishing the horrible man. 

Morgana led them over to a vent, the one they had escaped through just the day before, and hopped up, nodding for the two to follow, "c'mon frizz, blondie, I'll even show nyou the basics of using your persona as we go. I'm just generous like that." 

After a little scrambling and some wrong turns, Morgana brought them to an area with a strangely warped door. He glanced around, one ear flicking, and then said," no shadows can follow us in here, c'mon, I'll explain once we're safe."

Akria and Ryuji nodded, confused, but followed anyway. Akira felt dizzy as soon as they entered, one eye screwing shut as the room danced in his vision, swimming between a lamp-lit castle sitting room and the fluorescent gleam of a harshly lit classroom. He reached up, nervously tugging on his bangs as the shifting continued, it felt almost like the room was breathing. 

"yo, the hell's up with this?" Ryuji breathed, awed and wide-eyed. 

"I call it a safe room," Morgana explained, hopping up on the table. The desk. The table.. "this is an area where the palace ruler's distortion is weak. Maybe somewhere he feels less in control of things, or just an area he doesn't deem worthy of his full attention." 

"So, he feels a lack of control in the classrooms..?" Akira wondered aloud, sitting on the wooden bench. Plastic chair. Wooden-

"Is it gonna keep swayin like this? I might get carsick…" Ryuji mumbled, also taking a seat. 

"I barely notice it anymore," Morgana shrugged, "nyou get used to these things. And, with a good enough grasp on your own cognitive perception, the room will likely start appearing as it looks in this castle. If nyou try to perceive it as only a sitting room instead of a classroom, it could work, basically."

Akira nodded quietly, still taking everything in, and Ryuji just scratched his head, baffled. Morgana sighed heavily, "Anyway, what exactly is your plan here? What were you hoping to gain from this little excursion?" 

"we want proof of his fucked up shit," Ryuji said, "I wanna save those guys in the cages, I bet they'd all testify pretty hard against the bastard!" 

"Nyou want to… take them with nyou..?" Morgana asked, face flat. 

"yeah! An I know I don't got a persona or whatever, but I brought this gun!" Ryuji whipped out a pistol so fast that it actually made Akira jump. Where the  _ fuck  _ did he get that?! 

Ryuji's eyes widened, seeming to realize how bad this looked, "oh n-no it ain't real or nothin! Just a real good model! It uh, doesn't shoot, but it makes sounds! Might be enough to startle one of them guard guys or something, eh?" 

Akira let out a breath, relieved that Ryuji wasn't stupid enough to have bought an  _ actual  _ gun, and Morgana shifted, moving to just lay down on the table. He stared, dead eyed, up at the dusty stone ceiling. 

"Oh gods above. This is the worst mistake I've ever made, this is how I die isn't it? Probably can't even fight their way out of a cardboard box…" 

"I think you broke him," Akira whispered. 

Ryuji put the gun back away, "uh… whoops?" 

Morgana sighed loudly, pushing himself back up, "okay. So first off, nyou can't take these guys with nyou. They're just cognitive-they're like… fake people made up by Kamoshida's head. It's just how he sees them, it's not  _ really  _ them." 

Ryuji nodded slowly, and Akira said, "So they're like projections?" 

Morgana shook his head. "Nyot quite… They're fully tangible. They just aren't real. Like… super realistic dolls." 

"Oh? Gross," Ryuji said, "but I think I get it now. Still though… if that's how Kamoshida sees these guys, then he must be targetin em in real life, yeah?" 

"Probably, why?" Morgana asked. 

"That means if I memorize the creepy doll faces, I can track down the real guys at school! I'm sure with a little talkin I could convince em to snitch on Kamoshida. If we all work together, we can totally do it!" Ryuji said excitedly. 

Akira frowned, not so sure. If things were bad enough for the teacher to have this disgustingly grand vision of himself, so warped that a whole other reality of his creation existed, then a few scared students wouldn't do much good. Even if they all agreed, which Akira also seriously doubted. If these students were all so abused, there was no way one little talk would get them to speak up. But Ryuji looked so determined… Akira guessed it couldn't hurt to try. 

\---

The three ran about for awhile, trying hard to avoid attention, but eventually they were stopped short by a stationary guard. Akira pressed himself to the corner, and Morgana hissed out quietly. 

"Well that guy sure isn't budging…" he mumbled, "frizz, nyou ready for a fight?" 

Akira nodded once, a small smile forming at the thought of it. He went to step forward, but Morgana held up a hand, "wait! I wanna show nyou something special. Blondie, toss me that fake gun." 

Ryuji pulled out the weapon, pointing at it in confusion. "A'ight but like I said, it don't shoot nothin." 

Morgana snickered and grinned smugly. "Nyehe, nyot in reality, maybe. But just give it over to your pal here, I'll show nyou what to do." 

Akira held a hand out, curious as Ryuji pressed the pistol into his palm. It was light and hollow, well-crafted, but an obvious toy once it was in his hands. Morgana nodded towards the shadow, "give it a little surprise. If you rip that mask off it's face, it'll force a transformation and throw it off guard. Go on, I'll tell nyou what to do next." 

Akira nodded, feeling a bit of a thrill as he rushed forward. The metaverse heightened all his senses, enhanced his physical skills, his body felt almost like it could move however he wanted here. So, indulging in a bit of showmanship, Akira sprang into a forward roll and leapt up, gracefully wrapping his legs around the shadow and gripping it's mask, "Reveal yourself!" he yelled, ripping the thing off of the shadow's face. 

It shrieked in surprise, melting to the ground and bubbling into a new form. Akira tapped backwards, heels clicking as he held up the fake pistol, waiting on Morgana's orders. The cat let out a laugh, tail swishing. "Great! Such flair! Now point that gun and shoot like nyou mean it!" 

Akira aimed the pistol at the shadow, a little pixie who seemed dizzy. "So just aim it… with the intent that it's real…" he mumbled. This was a cognitive place after all, so maybe belief in a weapon could turn it real? It made as much sense as everything else. 

The pixie seemed to notice it too, her little wings stuttering as she asked, voice distorted and wavering, "is that a freaking gun?!" 

Akira smirked, and suddenly the plastic in his hands gained weight. It felt sharp and sleek and hefty in his hands. Working parts made of metal and a chamber full of cognitive ammo. He tilted his head and licked his lips, "you bet." he pulled the trigger, still somehow taken aback as the gun let out a resonant  _ bang _ , firing a blast of concentrated something, nailing the shadow dead center. She exploded with a scream, ashen particles raining down. 

Ryuji called out a loud, "DAAAMN!" and ran up, holding his hand out for a high five. 

Akira grinned, slapping his palm and looking at Morgana. "So toys work like real weapons in here?" 

Morgana nodded. "Nyep! Pretty much! If nyou and your enemy both see the weapon as real, it can cause some serious damage! Of course, the metaverse has its limits, and little toys like that gun are powered with sort of… cognitive blasts. Think of it like energy bullets. Nyou can't use too many or you'll wear yourself out, but it's super handy in a pinch!"

Akira nodded in agreement, tucking the gun away, "incredibly handy. Lookit that Ryuji, your gun idea came in pretty handy." 

Ryuji puffed up his chest, looking very proud of himself. "Aw yeah, not totally useless!" 

Morgana's ear flicked, "Congratulations, you passed the bare minimum level of contributing." 

Akira rested his palm flat on Morgana's big head, wobbling it hard, "be nice Monamona! Ryuji, you did awesome, man." 

Morgana yowled, waving his little arms. "Fine fine he did good! For somebody without a persona anyway." 

\---

They all moved on, and after nearly an hour of careful maneuvers, fighting techniques guided by Morgana, and close calls in battle, the three arrived at a new hallway. A banner hung over a door at the end of the short area, disgustingly deeming it 'Kamoshida's Training Hall of Love'. Akira's nose scrunched and his lip curled, the depravity of this man was something he didn't even want to fathom the depths of. 

"Dammit! How fucked up is this shit gonna get?!" Ryuji exclaimed, clearly sharing Akira's sentiment. 

"hey! I know you're frustrated, but keep it down, we don't want any more fights if we can help it!" Morgana urged. 

Ryuji huffed out an angry growl, left foot tapping rapidly against the floor, "yeah yeah, my bad. Let's just hurry this up so we can get this guy." 

The three pushed on, opening the door and finding themselves in another dark, humid dungeon. The sounds of pleading cries and pained sobs filled the air, and a single, loud thud could be heard somewhere in the distance, repeating again and again every ten seconds or so. Akira fiddled with his bangs, scanning the wet floors and heavy iron bars with uncertainty, "pleasant," he said dryly. 

Ryuji's brow was furrowed, and he just silently stood for a moment, the sounds seeming to still him. Akira gave his shoulder a soft pat, "hey. You good?" 

Ryuji jumped. He shook his head and let out a short breath, "yeah. Yeah man I'm good. Let's just… let's get to it. I won't let him keep gettin away with this shit." 

The three walked forward, Akira's heels splashed in stagnant water, and Morgana's tail brushed against a rusty chain, a hollow jangling joining the distant cries in a truly harrowing cocoughiny of sound. Ryuji's hands were curled tight against his sides, fists trembling as he stalked forward. He looked scared, but determined. The group came to the first set of bars, and Akira pushed his mask up into his hair to get a better look. Fellow students in their bright red track suits, grasping onto both sides of a volleyball net as masked knights whipped them. They were crying out with each strike, and it wasn't long before one of the teens collapsed to the ground. 

Akira slowly lowered his mask again, feeling his stomach turn witnessing this horrendous display. He glanced to Ryuji, and saw the boy was quaking harder, his breaths audible as he stared, almost transfixed, at the abused boys below. He let out a slow breath, "corporal punishment… one a kamoshida's ways to keep us in line." 

"Us..?" Akira mumbled aloud, wondering what Ryuji could possibly mean by that. He wasn't part of the volleyball team, but… track had been brought up, and if Kamoshida had coached that team too… 

"Hey," Morgana spoke, much more gently than usual, tugging on Ryuji's pant leg, "Ryuji, right? Look… we shouldn't stay here too long, okay?" 

Ryuji shook his head, lurching forward and grasping the bars, his jaw set as he glared down at the other teens, a sort of glassiness filming over his eyes, "no. We don't leave until I memorize every last one a their faces. Kamoshida is  _ not  _ getting away with this, understand?" 

Morgana nodded quietly, "I'll… go keep an eye out for guards. Try to be fast." 

The Cat waddled off, and Akira moved closer to Ryuji, risking wrapping and arm around him. He gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze, hoping he was the sort of person who found physical affection comforting. At the very least Akira was the type of person who always found it grounding, so, hopefully it was helpful. From the way Ryuji slightly untensed, Akria felt he'd made a good call with the awkward friendly side-hug. 

Ryuji reached up, patting Akira's hand, "thanks man. I'm glad you came with me." 

"We'll stop him," Akira stated, "I swear it. Now come on, let's… let's take a look at the others."

The two walked down the stone path, stopping at each new set of bars to investigate. Some were single person cells of dazed, half unconscious boys. One was another 'training room' that held several students, all running on a treadmill with imposing spikes at the base. Intermittent pleas for water or to stop the machine could be heard. Akira squeezed Ryuji's shoulders a little harder. 

Ryuji took a deep breath in. "Dehydration is another common way coaches control kid athletes. You'd do anythin for a drink of water before much a this, you know?" 

Akira nodded once. He didn't understand entirely, but he felt like Ryuji most definitely did. For all the things he'd been through, Ryuji had clearly been through his own kind of hell. The two moved on after a few minutes, taking in more and more cells. Akria was starting to feel genuinely nauseous, taking in so many disturbing sights at once. 

The final large area was where the repeated thumps were sounding from, and as they got closer, a choking noise joined it. Ryuji's teeth grit, and Akira's hand flew up to cover his mouth. They stopped at the bars, and were greeted with the most vile sight yet. A single student, suspended upside down by the ankles, his arms bound behind his back, at the mercy of a volleyball machine. The repeated thump was coming from the torpedo-fast ball naming the poor student in the gut, and the choking sound was the poor boy, coughing and gagging and barely able to take a shuddering breath between hits. 

Akira's eyes squeezed shut, and a shiver rolled up through his body as bile rose in his throat. He swallowed hard, shaking his head and refusing to look back at the suspended boy. Ryuji just had that same set jaw and firm gaze, glaring determinedly at the God awful display before him. Akira couldn't believe the kind of strength Ryuji must have, forcing himself not just to look at this, but commit it all to memory. 

"Are you ready?" he asked, voice a bit rough from the barely repressed acid still trying to crawl up his throat. 

Ryuji exhaled. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I got everybody. Let's get outta here."

Morgana hurried up to them about then, waving his little paws, "hey! I heard some noise nearby, we gotta get moving!" 

The three hurried back out of the hall of crimes against children, bolting as quick as they could, dodging past the alert guards and slipping past patrols as quietly as they could manage. Akira couldn't believe their luck as they burst out into an empty grand foyer. What were the odds that the guard was all occupied elsewhere?

Well, Akira regretted that positive thought the second it entered his mind, as heavy practiced footsteps alerted him of an approaching enemy. The king bastard himself walked into view, a broad grin on his vile face as he traipsed down the stairs like the belle of the ball. "Well well well. It looks like the rats found their way back into my castle. How terribly unfortunate for you!" 

Akira reflexively moved to stand in front of Ryuji, wanting to protect the only one here with no means to fight back. He glowered at Kamoshida, saying nothing. Ryuji gripped Akira's outstretched arm and called out, "Shut up asshole! We saw what you were doin to the volleyball team, and you ain't gettin away with shit! Not this time!" 

"Ohh Sakamoto," Kamoshida tsked, shaking his head slowly as he finished descending the stairs, "you want to fight me on this again? After it ended so poorly for you last time?" 

"Last time..?" Akira asked, eyes narrowing as he watched Kamoshida's steps. 

The man stopped, his quilted cloak shifting as he raised one arm, reaching out. In an instant, guards burst to life around the group, shields up and weapons ready. The king smirked, "he didn't tell you? Sakamoto, the violent ape, former star of the track team… he thought back talking me would be a smart idea, so I broke his leg." 

"You  _ what?"  _ Akira snarled, reaching for his dagger, eyes shifting between each encroaching enemy. 

Kamoshida  _ laughed,  _ throwing his head back and grinning like it was the funniest damn joke in the world, "self defense! Self defense is what it was! Or at least, the school backed me up when that's what I claimed. You couldn't stop me then, no one would listen to a word you had to say. What makes you think things are any different now, ape?" 

Ryuji gripped Akira's arm harder, his fingers curling harshly into the leather. Akira's arm started to ache, but he didn't mind. If it was keeping Ryuji steady, then he could take a little bruising. 

"It's different now!" Ryuji exclaimed, "I… I got better proof! Those other boys, they'll speak up! You can't disprove a whole bunch a kids talking out against you!" 

Kamoshida laughed again, more of a smug little chuckle, and tipped his head to the side. "Oh Sakamoto, don't you get it? I'm the  _ king.  _ I control everything in this place, and all of my subjects bend to my every whim."

He beckoned across the room, and the three boys' eyes widened as something new stepped into their line of sight. Not a knight, not an abused boy, but a girl. Curvy and blonde, twin tails long and trailing down her mostly bare back, a skimpy leopard print bikini barely concealing anything. She walked right up to Kamoshida, hanging on his arm like a trophy girl, tilting her head against him and smiling down at the boys vacantly. 

Her teal eyes were lifeless, distant, and she spoke with a high cadence and an odd sort of drawl, "Kamoshida is like, the best. Hehe, are you totally gonna kill them Ka-mo-shi-da?" she purred his name like a prayer, manicured nails trailing over his chest. 

Akira felt sick all over again. Ryuji gagged behind him, but managed a small, "T-Takamaki? The hell..?"

"Wowowee…" Morgana breathed, clearly not quite as sickened by the scantily clad blonde as the other two. He practically had hearts swimming in his huge eyes. "What an absolutely meowvelous girl! Nyaa…" 

"That's the girl who sits in front of me," Akira mumbled, "she's the one people think is with Kamoshida." 

"That's my old classmate!" Ryuji snapped, "Takamaki! What are you doin with that rotten sicko?! You ain't like this!" 

Morgana shook his head, looking more serious as he said, "That's because it's  _ not  _ her. This gorgeous girl is just how the king sees her, she's a fake, just like all the others." 

Ryuji shook his head, grasping both sides of it. "But this is how he sees her..? Some kinda... brainless sex doll? What has he done to her..? I can't take this."

Kamoshida laughed loudly, wrapping one of his hands around the cognitive girl's waist, "that's right, I get everything I want, and for being stupid enough to think you could oppose me, you get to  _ die. _ "

Akira drew his dagger, and Morgana pulled out his slingshot, both standing in front of Ryuji as the guards closed in. 

Ryuji shook his head, sinking to his knees. "No… no you guys gotta run. You gotta… I can't let anybody else get hurt for me!" 

Akira rushed forward, dodging as the guards began to transform. "It'll be fine, Ryuji, just stay back!" he struck upward, knocking the first beast off balance, but he was quickly blindsided by a second. 

Two of the shadows had turned into trampling black horses, neighing and stomping about, nearly crushing Akira's skull under a set of hooves. The third was a mighty knight on a red steed, tall and imposing and much harder to dodge. 

Morgana meowed out aggressive wind attacks, bouncing about on all fours to avoid stamping hooves, his big head ended up tripping him up, however, and he let out a yell as a hoof crunched against his back. 

Akira whipped around, reaching out for the cat only to be struck in the head with a hefty spear. He hit the ground with a sharp thud, letting out a cry of surprise and pain as the mighty red stallion slammed a hoof between his shoulder blades. He let out a cough, one eye screwed shut and hands balled into fists as he tried hard to survey the room.

He and Morgana had been knocked out like it was nothing, and poor Ryuji was just kneeling off to the side, shaking his head, teary eyed, probably blaming himself for all of this. 

"Worthless," Kamoshida scoffed, "see what you get for trying to rise against me Sakamoto? You should have learned your place by now." 

Ryuji bowed his head in defeat, shoulders shaking as he shook his head, tears dripping down his face and staining the carpet at his knees. Akira winced as he tried to breathe in. His lungs were on fire and his ribs screamed in protest as he stretched one arm out, red fingers extending towards this boy who so desperately needed a spark. Something to ignite the flame, to awaken the powerful strength he didn't know he had. 

"Ryuij…" Akira exhaled, then breathed in the best he could, raising his voice as hard as he could. " _ Are you going to sit there and let him win? _ " 

Ryuji looked up, his eyes wide and searching. Tears still clung to the edges of his eyes, but something Akira had said resonated with him. 

Akira turned his face towards him, still wincing from the pressure against his back, but he forced a grin, his silver eyes as sharp and intense as always, "You're more than he thinks you are.  _ Prove it _ ."    
  
Ryuji sucked in a breath through his teeth, turning to look at Kamoshida, who was just watching the group with mild amusement. The cognitive blonde was still on his arm, giggling and making mocking gestures at the half-dead boys. Ryuji pushed himself to his feet, stumbling forward a step, “You’re right...I ain’t like I was back then. I ain’t weak, helpless, some kinda violent monster...and most importantly, I ain’t  _ alone. _ ”   
  
Kamoshida sneered, “Still have some fight left in you? Hmph, guards, snuff it out.”   
  
Two horses began to approach Ryuji, leaving Morgana’s weakened self crumpled against the carpet. They whinnied harshly, scuffing at the ground, but Ryuji stood firm. He glared at the beasts unflinchingly, before suddenly lurching forward, gripping his head.   
  
Akira watched him, startled, as the boy began to stumble around, shaking his head and cursing under his breath. A voice could be heard, faint to Akira, but evidently deafening to Ryuji.  _ ‘Finally come to your senses my boy? Ha! I was wondering when you’d wake up and realize. Nothing they say matters. They want to peg you as a no-good troublemaker? Then let’s hoist the flag and raise some hell!’ _ _   
_ _   
_ Ryuji let out a shaky, stuttering breath, sweat mixed with tears running down his face. His hands slowly slipped off his face, breaths heavy as he said, “yeah yeah...let’s do it.” An explosion of blue flame encased him, and a silver skull mask materialized on his face. Ryuji reached up, gripping the edges and stumbling back, then forward, screeching as he ripped it from his flesh, blood spewing out from beneath silver, his deep brown eyes flashing yellow as the flames Akira had come so recently to associate with persona flared to life behind him.   
  
“Awright,” Ryuji exhaled, swiping a hand through the blood on his face, his clothes dissolving into a rough and sharp pirate getup. He tapped his left foot against the ground and threw one arm out, grinning wide, almost unhinged, as he called out, “Let’s do it, Captain Kidd!”   
  
Behind him, a mighty persona flared to life, the visage of a pirate atop a ship, standing on the starboard port like he was balancing on a skateboard. Ryuji stomped his foot, and his persona stomped against the deck of its ship, cannons firing from either side of the vessel, unleashing bolts of lightning energy, electrifying the air. The horses all shrieked and scrambled, the electricity making their forms shudder and explode. The horse pinning Akira to the ground even reared back, neighing and stumbling backwards to try and escape the shock.   
  
Akira groaned as he forced himself to his feet, glad that the lightning didn’t roll across the ground as well. He coughed roughly, holding up his dagger as the rider on the horse glared at them. Akira had a wobbly grin on his face, every breath hurt, but damn if he wasn’t standing thanks to Ryuji. He gave him a high five as he ran up, “Hell yeah man, you did it!”   
  
Ryuji laughed breathlessly, “Yeah yeah… now let’s kill this thing and get the hell outta here!”   
  
Morgana very slowly pushed himself up, a green light wrapping his body as he shook his fur out, “Another persona huh..? I guess nyou aren’t totally useless after all.”   
  
Ryuji laughed, clearly still riding the high of his awakening. “And don’t you forget it, cat!”

Morgana ran up to Akira, slapping him in the back. Akira was about to protest, but a green light suddenly encased him, and all the aches in his body were significantly lessened. He let out a breath and rolled his shoulders. “Thanks. Alright, let’s crush this enemy!”   
  
They rushed forward towards the dazed enemy, all moving in a flurry of strikes and magic. As the mighty horse exploded, the three all turned back towards the king. Kamoshida looked nervous, taking a step backwards, pulling the cognitive girl with him, “Y-you can’t just do that-I-I’ll get more guards in here, you won’t get out of this alive!”   
  
Morgana nodded towards the front door, “C’mon, we better get outta here.”   
  
Ryuji glared at Kamoshida, yellow-clad hands curling at his sides, crackling with little electric volts, “But he-”   
  
Akira rested a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. “We’ barely made it out of that, better to regroup and not die.”   
  
Ryuji let out a sharp breath, hands going lax. “Fine.”   
  
The three turned and bolted fast as they could, Kamoshida calling out angrily after them.

\---

The three didn't stop running until the drawbridge leading back towards reality was in sight. Akira skidded to a stop, hands resting on his knees as he panted, trying to catch his breath. Ryuji seemed even more winded than him, gasping and coughing, trembling slightly as he fought to keep on his feet. Akira offered him a steadying arm, but he shook his head and waved the raven off. 

"It's good, 'm good," he wheezed, "outta practice… an… that persona thing totally wore me out." 

Morgana padded up to them, the least out of breath, and nodded. "Awakenings are really intense, they're physically draining  _ and _ send nyou into fight mode. What your feeling is that adrenaline wearing off." 

Ryuji nodded in agreement, and Akira stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking back towards the castle, "So… Ryuji has this power too. Can anyone awaken to persona?" 

Morgana shook his head. "No, only certain people have the potential. I dunno what decides it, if it's something in their heart or if some greater being gives them that potential… but it seems like having a strong will has a lot to do with it. And nyou two are pretty impressive! For amateurs, anyway."

Akira nodded quietly, surveying the massive brick structure. Brownstone that loomed so high he could barely see the spire tips, disappearing into clouds of pink and a sky of grey. This other reality, persona, and even Morgana said some greater being could be involved? Was this all Igor's doing? Or at the very least, was he the one giving people this 'potential'? Something to ask about next time he had a dream, he supposed. 

Ryuji finally caught his breath, and was now gawking at himself. "Yo what the hell? When'd I change into this mess? Akira, bro, it's just like yours! I got effin magic duds!" 

Akira chuckled, watching as Ryuji patted himself down and tugged at his fancy new ascot in awe. "You look good," Akira grinned, giving a thumbs up. 

Ryuji flushed pink and crossed his arms. "Th-that ain't the point! You focus on weird shit, man."

Morgana cleared his throat. "Well. Now that I've got TWO persona users, my mission seems a little more doable! Okay, listen up! Since you're here already, you're going to be helping me with a plan of mine. It involves adventure, danger, scouring the depths of Mementos and-" 

"Slow down there Mona," Ryuji interrupted, holding his hands up, "I just came here to help my classmates. We never said anythin about helpin you on some weird mission." 

Morgana's jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out, he started flailing his little paws hilariously. "You're kidding me! After all the help I just gave you?!" 

Akira twirled a lock of bangs between his fingers, glancing towards the exit. "Well see, we kind of got what we need already. And it was your choice to help us. If anything, I see it as you repaying us for freeing you in the first place."

Morgana gasped indignantly, "No WAY. I already replayed you by helping you escape the first time! Nou-nyou brats!" 

Ryuji grinned and ruffled the top of Morgana's head. "And thanks for that, we 'preciate it. But we got a real important mission of our own, so, see ya round!" 

Ryuji took off towards the exit, and Akira joined, casting a good-bye wave over his shoulder. "Maybe fate will cross our paths again. Bye Morgana." 

"Fate-bullshit! You owe me!!" Morgana yowled as the two exited the metaverse. 

\---

Ryuji and Akira walked until the sky faded back to normal, and they found themselves standing in a dingy alleyway between the school and the road. Akira looked back over his shoulder, seeing Shujin back in place, standing tall and concrete where the castle had been. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he heard a muffled voice welcome them back. 

"What a day," Ryuji sighed, "that was awful… but we got some good out of it!" 

Akira turned his attention back to the blonde, frowning, "I mean… I know you memorized all their faces. But if Kamoshida really has that much influence, do you think any of them will speak out?" 

"They gotta! If we tell em that we know the truth, and we can actually  _ help _ , they'll wanna go against him. It's… still smarter than how I went about it." 

Akira nodded. "You were the track star, huh? Did he really break your leg?" 

Ryuji shook his head, looking a little uneasy. "It's a long ass story. Hey, I know, wanna go grab some food with me? We can chat about shit while we eat." 

Akira wasn't really hungry, his stomach still in knots from that whole metaverse foray, but he did want to hear Ryuji talk about this. And it had been a really long time since anyone had given him a friendly invitation. So he nodded. "Sure. Where to?" 

Ryuji navigated him through a couple train lines, occasionally grabbing his shoulders and steering him in the right direction as he laughed over how direction-challenged Akira was. And, after making it through the maze that was the subway system, they arrived at a nice little ramen shop. Ryuji went ahead and tugged him inside, rambling on about how ramen was the perfect food, and this place served some great stuff. 

Akira sat next to him at one of the tables, looking over a menu as Ryuji looked around. "My mom used ta bring me here every time I got an A on my schoolwork. You shoulda seen her light up when I managed it in like three classes, she was so proud she almost cried." 

Akira set his menu down, placing an order and then turning to Ryuji. "Yeah? So your mom, she's a good person?" 

Ryuji beamed. "Oh man, she's the  _ best.  _ She raised me pretty much on her own, ever since dad left. But it was good he left! The bastard seemed to think family members were great punchin bags…" 

Akira grimaced and shook his head, abusive father. That was pretty bad. "How long did you have to put up with that?" 

"It wasn't too long, I musta been eight or so when the old man finally left for good," Ryuji replied, "my mom is way better off."

The blonde paused, placed his order, and then continued to stare at the tabletop for a moment before continuing, "... I was really good, ya know. In track I mean. I was gonna get a scholarship, an make sure my mom got repaid for all the years she spent takin such good care of me." 

"But then Kamoshida happened?" Akira asked gently. 

Ryuji shook his head. "Not really. I happened. Kamoshida is a bastard, and he was abusive as hell, but in the end, I'm the one that acted out and ruined everything. He… he liked to pick on me cause I was the best. He was always givin us impossible exercises and pushing us when we couldn't do em, but I didn't snap until he started taunting me. He told the whole team about my shitty dad, and said I was gonna turn out just like him. I… I couldn't take it, I lashed out, tried to hit him, got a broken knee and a suspension out of it."

Akira listened quietly as Ryuji relayed all this. It was awful, hearing what he'd gone through… and he blamed himself? This wasn't his fault. Kamoshida was preying on teens like them who had barely any agency, of course Ryuji was going to fight back eventually. The dick probably counted on it. He reached out and patted Ryuji's shoulder. "Hey, it isn't your fault. I would've done the same in your place I'm sure." 

Ryuji chuckled, "that's real nice a you man, but I ain't saying he isn't to blame at all. Just that I shoulda had a better cap on my emotions n shit, you know? It's why I wanna do shit the right way this time. I wanna get proof, evidence, have people willin to speak out against him. We can do it if we don't just rush in like idiots."

Akira sighed, he really wasn't sure that would work, but Ryuji was so determined. So sure he could get these boys on their side. And Akira sure wasn't going to try and persuade him otherwise. He nodded. "Alright, then let's do it." 

Ryuji smiled. "I'm real lucky I met you man. Two delinquents, real peas in a pod huh? Which reminds me… I heard the rumors n stuff, but there's no way you attacked an innocent person. You're so effin reckless you keep almost getting yourself killed just tryin to protect  _ me _ . So… what's the real story?"

Akira looked at the table as their food arrived. He fiddled with his bangs and wrapped the ends around his fingers, tugging sharply. He didn't want to relive that again, he didn't want to think about what had been the lowest point in his life up to now. But… Ryuji had just basically poured his heart out, Akira at least owed him a short explanation. So that's what he gave. 

He told him of the woman and the drunk man, the damn cops and the fact that he'd been sentenced to a year's probation over nothing. He left out his time in juvenile hall, or anything having to do with his parents. Some things he just  _ really  _ didn't want to get into. 

Ryuji ate as he listened, and when Akira finished, Ryuji smacked his empty bowl against the tabletop. "Man! That's such horse shit!" 

Another customer glanced towards them, and Ryuji slightly lowered his voice, "... That effin sucks! You got your whole life ruined by one drunk asshole? And people are talkin about it like you're the criminal! Adults suck ass."

Akira nodded in agreement, pushing his untouched ramen away from himself. "They really do. At least I met you, right?" 

Ryuji gave him a lopsided smile and reached out, giving him a friendly punch in the arm. "Hell yeah dude! We're such an awesome team already, we totally got this, we're gonna crush Kamoshida!" 

Akira smiled, feeling a little rush of confidence at Ryuji's enthusiasm. He had a feeling things wouldn't be quite as straightforward as Ryuji was hoping, but he felt like they could actually do this. Making someone with so much power pay for his crimes… he still wasn't sure exactly how, but he was determined.

A whole year lay ahead, but now, part of him was actually looking forward to it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone!! In case the few of you who read my longfics hadn't yet noticed, I take absolutely forever to update anything. I do apologize for that, but know I'll almost always say something if I'm going to stop updating anything entirely!
> 
> On that note, please check out chapter one's notes for my edit reasonings, but just to let you all know again, this fic has now been edited to be P5R compliant (plus canon divergent) So if you don't want p5r spoilers yet, don't read past the next couple chapters!
> 
> Also, to those of you waiting still, Reverse Wild IS updating soon, the new chapter is almost finished and just has to be edited! I should have it up in a week or so if all goes well!
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me through my shoddy update schedule and total lack of focus, it means a ton! Expect this fic to update a bit slower than most, as it's such a huuge project, and as always, you can follow me on Twitter [@PentheDragon](https://twitter.com/PentheDragon) if you want to be notified when I post new updates!
> 
> Love you all so much, and I hope the new year is treating you well!!


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